Charmed Heart
by Confession68
Summary: Sequel to Charmed. AU: Nami is still learning about her new abilities as well as the Charmed Heart. What will she do when strange things begin to happen to her? Will they be able to figure it out before it's too late? LuNa - Rated M
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Alright, guys… So, I got this idea after reading _Charmed_ , and I realized some things had kind of just been left unanswered, and this came to me. This is the sequel. ;) I know I have a lot of unfinished fics out right now, and before any of you have to ask, the answer is, I don't know yet. I don't know when and if I'll pick them back up again, and actually, I didn't want to post this fic until I finished it, _just_ to be sure I don't leave another one unfinished. So, yes, I have completed this fic. Which by the way, I'm glad I did, because I got stuck towards the end, and it sat for a few months. X(

I will post one chapter a day, unless I'm feeling generous. This is just a novella sized fic, though. So, not long at all. :) I will be working on my original book now that I've finished this one. :) I'll be working on the first book alone right now, since Araucaria has been really busy. If the first book does well, she will have more time to help me with the others. :) Anyways, I won't keep you guys any longer. Enjoy! :D

 **Charmed Heart**

 **Chapter 1**

Deep, growling breaths echoed across the mountains and over the large forest. The sounds kept the villagers up at night with terror and anguish, knowing that soon, another virgin would need to be sacrificed in order to appease the tyrant.

Amongst the sounds another drifted within, quite different in tone and sound. It was beautiful and pleasant, and all villagers moved to their windows to see where the wonderful sound was coming from.

Long, bright orange and wavy hair emerged through the thick fog as it fluttered in the soft breeze, billowing with the light blue and white dress which covered the ample body of the most beautiful woman any of them had ever seen, and the song she sang was sung with the voice of an angel. What was most enchanting about her was the faint, blue glow within her eyes.

As she made her way along the main road, singing her song, the villagers began to lose focus within their eyes, and they moved away from their windows to take cover, as if told to do so by a whisper in their ears. The orange haired beauty made her way through the village and up the path towards the mountain where the sounds of the beast were centered.

A growl sounded much louder as the dragon was stirred from his slumber by the voice of the woman. It lifted its head from its treasure hoard and turned in the direction of the voice. Lifting up its massive body, it made its way out of its cave in the mountain and flew down towards the village and the charming voice.

Spotting the bit of orange, the dragon screeched and landed some distance before her. Its large green eyes shifted to slits as they gazed into the enchanting glowing blue ones, and then the beast inhaled her scent, seeming pleased, which meant only one thing; the young woman was a virgin.

The beast snarled as it bore its teeth, and then it roared at this woman to intimidate her, but seemed confused when the woman still showed no fear of him.

Her voice continued on stronger now, and the words she sang became clearer as she lifted up a slow hand towards the dragon. Large green eyes began to lose focus, and a soft groan echoed as its once proud and intimidating stance began to falter. The dragon then focused its eyes on her hand as she began to lower it, and as the hand lowered, so did the dragon. The woman had the beast completely in her control.

At that moment, another voice began to whisper as an incantation was chanted, causing the dragon's dull eyes to shift towards it, but only fog could be seen. The dragon groaned again with confusion as it gazed off, but as it did, a pair of glowing blue eyes appeared within the fog as they were opened.

The dragon blinked and then groaned out as a large, dark fist burst through the fog and slammed into it, sending it flying down the side of the mountain.

The woman merely turned her glowing blue eyed gaze towards where the dragon had gone as the strong winds from the attack sent her hair and dress fluttering in that direction.

A red and steamy blur rushed past her, sending up another gust of wind around her, and a voice cried out, "Gattling!" A flurry of punches rained down over the large beast, which growled and cried out from the pain.

After several more attacks and having been enchanted, the dragon was far too dazed to defend itself. Instead, it searched for the woman who had seized him as if looking to be saved. It even began calling out to her.

Luffy smirked down at the beast in satisfaction and said, "Your reign of terror is over, dragon! The people don't want your tyranny any longer!"

Nami made her way over towards where Luffy and the dragon had ended up, but her eyes remained on the beast as it called to her. Her brows dipped down as she approached, listening to its voice and pleas.

"Sorry, dragon, but I have to end your life now," Luffy said as he turned his hand into a blade and lifted it up. His expression held sadness that he had to destroy such an awesome creature, but it was what the people asked for and what was on the contract they signed. His lips quivered as large tears pooled, but then his arm started down towards the beast, which cried out, frantic.

With a gasp, Nami moved forward and held up her hand to stop him. "Wait," she called as she continued towards the dragon.

"Ah, Nami!" Luffy cried as he retracted his arm, but then gasped as she moved closer to the injured beast. "Nami, don't!"

"It's alright… I don't think he wants to hurt me," Nami said as she moved towards the dragon, but slower now.

The beast gave a quiet groan as he watched her approach, but did not move otherwise. Nami then reached out and pressed a gentle hand to its snout. The beast groaned again and nuzzled her in return, causing the young woman to smile.

"Nami, what are you doing?" Luffy asked, almost frantic, to how close she was to it. "We need to kill it."

"No…" Nami replied as she kept her smile and pet over the beast's snout with a more confident hand. She then turned her smile to Luffy. "I have a better idea."

x x x x

" _Woooo hooo_!" a cry echoed through the thick clouds, and soon Luffy's head poked through them as well as Nami's. Not too long after, the head of the dragon came forth as well, as they soared high through the sky.

"Best… idea… _ever_!" Luffy continued to exclaim as they both held on tightly to the rope which they tied around the dragon.

The elated dragon groaned a happy groan as he soared up high, and it almost appeared as if he was smiling. He seemed perfectly content in doing anything the beautiful virgin asked of him, especially since his mistress had spared him.

Nami laughed as she pet over the dragon's black scales and called to it, "Good boy, Scales!"

"Aww, come on, Nami! Can't we name him something cool, like Big Teeth?" Luffy said, tightening his arms around Nami and pulling her back more to his front.

Nami chuckled as she rested her head onto his shoulder and said, "We're not naming him Big Teeth or Long Claws. We're naming him Scales."

Luffy pouted, but then he suddenly burst into laughter. "Okay, okay, we can call him Scales!"

The dragon gave a cheery growl to show his pleasure of being named by the beauty. "See? He likes it," Nami said with another chuckle as she hugged Luffy's arms. "That's a good boy, Scales! Now turn a little to the left! We'll get back home in no time at all!"

The dragon gave another cheery growl in the affirmative as he turned a little towards the left.

x x x x

Several screams of terror and bells of warning throughout Mariejois brought the members of Devil's Fist out of their guild to investigate what was happening. A large shadow swooped along the ground, causing them to look up at the massive dragon which circled above.

"Holy shit!" Ace cried as Dragon and Garp came up beside him.

The dragon, however, did not attack, and instead began to make a gradual descent within the large garden over the big, open lawn of the guild.

"The hell is going on!?" Garp exclaimed as he, Dragon and Ace as well as the other members began heading towards it.

They watched as the dragon lowered himself to the ground, and then an individual slid right off from it with another still atop it. Both were unmistakable.

"Luffy, what in the hell are you doing!? What is this!?" Garp demanded as he gaped back at them with everyone else.

Luffy grinned big as he helped Nami down and turned to look at them. "Meet Scales!" he said as he pet over the side of dragon's head.

"What the hell are you going on about, 'Meet Scales'!?" Garp demanded as he made his way over without fear. "You were supposed to _kill_ the dragon! _That_ was the job and in the contract! I'll finish it for you, if you can't do that! And… how in the hell did you…!?"

The dragon groaned and hid its head behind both Luffy and Nami. There was something awful scary about that man.

"Oye! You're scaring him!" Luffy said, hugging the poor dragon's muzzle. "Don't scare him! He's our dragon now! He's our friend! Don't you dare hurt him!" As he spoke, his eyes began to glow blue in preparation for a fight, if one was needed.

The dragon growled with stars in his eyes as he nuzzled Luffy in appreciation for protecting him. Luffy grinned and snickered as he hugged the dragon back. "Don't worry, Scales! I won't let the scary man hurt you!"

This drew another happy groan as the dragon licked him, causing Luffy to burst into laughter.

"How in the hell…?" Ace whispered as he came up beside Garp. "You _tamed_ it?"

Luffy blinked before pointing to Nami. "She tamed him."

Nami looked from Luffy towards the others with a frown. "I couldn't let him die… He was pleading with me." The dragon groaned and now nuzzled her to show his appreciation, which made her giggle and pet him. "Besides, all the women who were taken were returned to the village. He didn't kill them, and a lot of his treasure is here," she said, pointing up at several burlap bags filled with gold and jewels. "Instead of taking gold from the villagers, they allowed for us to take a part of the treasure, and the rest was returned to them."

Garp's jaw dropped as he gaped back at them. "Retur-! You did _what_!?"

Nami pursed her lips as she pressed her fists to her hips, facing down the old man without fear. "It was all stolen in the first place! We had no right to take it all, and they allowed us to take a lot! It was more than fair, and we ended up with more than they were paying! They were happy with the outcome, despite what the contract said, seeing as we still fixed their dragon problem! Not to mention, you now have an even better reputation than you did before! What's the problem!?"

"She has a point…" Ace said with a shrug as he pointed to her, and then he looked over to the old man.

"I have to agree," Dragon replied as he smiled at the girl.

"And let's not forget, they didn't _kill_ the dragon. She fucking _tamed_ it! That's way more terrifying!" Ace whispered to Dragon, but Garp could hear it as well, which made his eye twitch. Dragon replied with an emphatic nod of his head in agreement.

Garp gave a growl as he stared down the glaring girl, giving her a glare right back. He could not really dispute what she said, despite the fact that the guild had to hold a certain reputation, and not just a better one. "Fine! I'll let it slide this time," he said, and then looked up at the dragon, "and feeding him is your responsibility!"

" _Fine_! And of _course_ it is! Why would we expect you to do it!? It's not like Luffy and I can't afford it, even after you take your share of the payment!" she said, motioning towards the burlap bags.

Garp gave a grunting growl before turning to head back into the guild as he muttered under his breath, and the mages could only look on in amusement as well as amazement.

Orange haired beauty: one; scary, grumpy, old Guild Master: zero.

Luffy snickered with a proud grin as he wrapped his arm around Nami's waist and pulled her against his side. She also turned a smile to him and kissed his nose. "We should find a place for Scales. Maybe we could purchase some land and build a place for him."

Luffy snickered again and said, "Yeah, we'll figure it out."

The guild members watching the spectacle could only look on in awe of the pair, even though they were also a part of the same guild as Luffy. They were both very powerful mages; even more so than they were.

When word spread that the Devil's Fist had now _tamed_ a dragon, their reputation sky rocketed and stories of their deeds spread. More and more mages wanted to join as well, and many were willing to take on the difficult tasks it took to even join such a prestigious and famous guild as The Devil's Fist.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Ending Author's Note:** So, what'd you guys think of the first chapter so far? :) Luffy always had wanted to defeat that dragon, to which Nami would always decline! XD Well, he finally got his wish, hahaha! Only, Nami slightly stole his glory. I don't think he minds. xD Anyways, I would appreciate it if you guys gave me some feedback! ;) Reviews are always appreciated! Until next time! :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Okey doke, guys! Here's the second chapter! :D I've been making a lot of changes to what I had originally wrote, because hell yeah, I can do that since it's all completed! :D Something I could _not_ do had I written by ear and posted each chapter before its completion! XD However, I have to make those changes to several documents, so here's hoping I _did_ make all the appropriate changes to all of the documents… X( I'll have to double check before I post _anything_! However, this chapter should be fine! Anyways, enjoy! :D

 **Charmed Heart**

 **Chapter 2**

After unloading all of the treasure with the other guild member's assistance, Chopper had looked over Scales' wounds and some livestock was bought to feed him. Luffy and Nami finally headed back inside the guild to get something to eat themselves.

They spotted Robin seated at one of the tables as she read, with Zoro laying out over the bench with his head in her lap as he dozed. Spotting the couple entering into the dinner hall, Sanji removed his apron and told the staff he would be right back as he made his way towards them.

As they approached and as if sensing their presence, Zoro opened an eye and smirked at them. "Taming dragons now, are we?" he asked, just as Sanji made it to them.

Robin also looked up from her book and offered the couple a smile. After having spent so much time there, the three had decided to take the difficult tasks, passing all of them and joined the guild months ago.

Nami huffed and said, "Well, it wasn't our intention when we first arrived there. Luffy was about to kill him, but he had such sad eyes. He's a good boy now, and all the virgin girls were returned safely and unharmed to their village."

"Aah, such lovely maidens~! I'm glad to hear they were returned unharmed~!" Sanji said as he cupped his hands to his cheek.

Zoro scoffed at this and said, "So, what'd the old man have to say about it?"

Luffy pursed his lips and said, "Well, he wasn't happy… but don't care. We'll figure it out with Scales."

"Scales, huh? Cool name," Zoro said and chuckled.

"Thanks!" Nami beamed.

Luffy again pursed his lips and said, "I still think Big Teeth is better."

"That's a horrible name."

"Thank you, Zoro! I agree!" Nami said as she laughed at Luffy's disappointment. Soon, they were all laughing together.

"Oye."

To the voice, they all turned to see Ace approaching them, but his eyes were on Nami. "The old man wants to see you."

"Me?" Nami asked as she began to frown and even glanced at Luffy, but then she looked back at Ace and asked, "He's not going to fuss more about the dragon, is he?"

Luffy nearly scowled and said, "Alone? What's he want her for?"

"He didn't say, and yeah, alone," Ace said and sighed at Luffy.

"There's no way I'm letting her go alone!"

"Luffy, you know the old man. He'll just kick your ass outta there," Ace said as he shook his head at his younger brother.

"It's alright, Luffy," Nami said as she looked up at him. "What's he going to do to me, anyway? It'll be fine," she said as she leaned up to kiss his cheek.

Still appearing concerned, Luffy sighed and nodded. "I'll be right outside, in case you do need me, okay?"

She smiled up at him with affection and nodded. "Okay." Taking his hand, they both then made their way towards the old man's office.

Luffy assured her once more that he would be right there, and she offered him one more smile as she stepped into Garp's office, closing the doors behind her. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her hands were clammy, but she lifted her chin up at the old man anyway as she stared him down. "You asked for me?"

"I did," he replied from behind his desk as he continued to write something down. "Have a seat," he said without looking up at her.

With a bit of a frown, she made her way further in and took a seat before his desk. They remained in silence for some time, until he finally set his quill within its inkwell and looked up at her. He gazed back at her for some time, which unsettled her, but then he said, "I understand that you don't think highly of me."

A deeper frown creased her brows as she regarded him, and then she said, "I have a very good reason as to why."

"I'm well aware of that. I, now, need you to understand why I made those decisions," he said to her in a hard tone.

"Understand them?" she asked, seeming unwilling to understand at all, or perhaps skeptical. She did not like where this was going.

"Yes," he replied, but then he said, "Luffy is my responsibility as is every mage who is a member of _my_ guild. Everything each one of these mages does, including Luffy, reflects upon _my_ guild. We have to uphold and maintain the reputation that we have, or risk being taken advantage of or lose credibility. Our skills and services come with a high fee, because we take on the jobs most others can't and won't do, and we get the job done right. Luffy, the idiot that he is, took on a job with him being in a horrible condition, which led to the destruction of your village."

She huffed out in irritation. She knew this already. What point was he trying to make, exactly? "I am aware of this."

"I know that you are, girl. Luffy had to take responsibility for what he had done, and he had to pay the consequences as well. That's where you came in. He'd gone easy on you. Even if he was responsible for destroying your town, payment was still promised and due. Something else would have been done about your village. It was another matter and not a part of the original contract," Garp went on to explain.

However, Nami was now glaring back at him. She was still not sure she liked or accepted what he was saying.

"Now, do you want to know why I made you continue to work for the guild, other than to just pay off your debt?"

Nami blinked at this as she stared back at him. "There was another reason?"

Garp's lips and brows dipped down into more of a frown. "Yes," he replied, simply.

Nami lowered her eyes, actually giving this some thought. What other reason could he have had to make her work for them?

When she did not reply, though he had not really expected her to be able to figure out, he said, "You were free, girl."

Nami looked up at him, and her frown softened more into confusion. "Free?" she whispered in that confusion.

"That's right. Free; you were free. Luffy had fulfilled his part of the contract, despite the destruction. After ten years of enslavement, you were free," Garp said with the same harsh tone.

Nami swallowed and rolled her eyes closed as she felt a sinking feeling within her gut. "I was free… and yet… I was ungrateful."

"Yes," Garp replied in a much quieter tone, "Luffy freed you and your village. Your town was destroyed, but you were free, and you threw that great feat back into Luffy's face. Of _course_ he and the guild would have taken responsibility for the destruction, girl. It's also another reason Luffy brought you here against your will. You were irrational and unreasonable, and beyond explaining anything, nor would you have trusted him to keep his word."

When he put it like that, he made her feel small and horrible, and thinking about how cruel and horrible she had been to Luffy, despite how well he had treated her, made her heart ache. He had only lashed out after becoming fed up of her treatment of him, but he had always apologized. Tears welled within her eyes and a droplet glided down her cheek, to which she wiped away with a quick swipe of her hand.

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilt, girl," Garp said, a tad gentler than he had before. "I only want you to understand what it means to be a Guild Master. The idiot needed to also be taught a lesson, and this is why I also did to you what I did."

Nami lifted her chocolate brown eyes up to him, and then she nodded her understanding. She could only imagine what it must be like to be him. It was like having to be a strict parent to hundreds of children; all of those children being powerful mages.

"Now, in line about the guild. Though you work for the guild and you work with Luffy, you have yet to officially join it," he said as he regarded her closer.

She blinked several times as she considered this, but then she shifted her eyes away. "I wasn't sure if I… wanted to… or really could, and so I just haven't asked about it."

"I figured as much. You are aware of the tasks that must be fulfilled, and I'm sure you're also aware of how difficult they can be, seeing as your friends had to go through with them. I also understand you might not be confident in your abilities, since you are new to them."

"That's right," she replied in a quiet tone, refusing to look up at him.

"I wanted to let you know I'm making you an official member as of today, if you accept the offer."

Nami's head snapped up, unsure if she had heard him right. "Excuse me?" she whispered in her surprise.

"It's not everyday someone tames a damned dragon. Killing a dragon is easy… but taming one… Well… that's an entirely different story. I think you're more than qualified, and your abilities are also rare and should be monitored closely by experienced mages," he said with a grunt. He did not really want to admit that he was impressed by the girl's abilities as well as to how quickly she had mastered them. "You should have more confidence in yourself."

"I…" she started, speechless. After a while, she just took in a breath and said, "I accept. Thank you…"

"There's one more thing," Garp said as he pulled a drawer out from his desk and lifted out a long wooden box, dwarfed within his large hand. "I wanted to give you this," he said as he stood up and handed it to her over his desk.

Blinking at the box, she stood up from her chair and accepted it from him. Not bothering to sit back down, she opened it up and gasped at the golden chain within, as well the jeweled heart pendant attached to it.

Her eyes darted up to his in shock. He was giving her this gift?

Garp's eyes were on the pendant as he said, "It's not just a necklace. It's a powerfully enchanted charm. It is very old, it is very rare, and it was extremely hard to find. It's been inspected by our experts here many times over. It's the real deal. It was made for and by someone of your abilities, which is why, I guess, it's shaped like a heart. It helps with your abilities, and at the same time, keeps you protected. Your abilities are rare and downright priceless, which could be dangerous. An attempt was already made on you once. I won't let it happen again."

She took in a harsh breath as she glanced back down at the necklace. He said it was extremely rare as well as very old, which meant it must have cost a fortune. Not to mention, he went through all the trouble to find it, just for her, and just like that, he was just _giving_ it to her. She felt tears once again welling in her eyes as she looked up at him.

Without another thought, she made her way around his desk, surprising him, and wrapped her arms around his much larger body. "Thank you!" she whispered as the tears began to fall.

Garp's expression softened as he gazed down at the tiny bit of a girl, and then he lifted a hand to give her head a pat. "You must also understand how important you are to my grandson. What's precious to him… is also precious to me."

More tears seeped through, and she even hiccupped as the tears fell harder. Her arms tightened more around him, and then she nodded in understanding once more.

"Know that you are protected here. You will always be protected and safe here," he said, as he reached down to pluck the necklace from its box. "Here," he said, and she lowered her head as she pulled her hair to the front for him to place it on her.

A bright smile formed as she nodded once again and whispered, "Thank you. I do feel safe here."

"Good, this was all I wished to discuss with you. You can tell the idiot waiting outside that you're just fine," he said and smiled to seeing her bright smile.

This made her laugh as she wiped away her tears with a sniffle and lifted her head to charm him more with her smile. "Thank you," she said again before turning to head out, the old man watching her the whole way.

As soon as she opened the door and stepped out with tears in her eyes, Luffy was ready to do battle as he scowled, glancing in at the old man. Nami laughed, sounding nasally as she gazed back at Luffy. "It's alright, Luffy. Don't get upset," she said as she closed the doors with the box still in one of her hands and the necklace sparkling just above her bosom. "I'll explain what happened."

He blinked to this, but then he just nodded, noting the long wooden box as well as the sparkly necklace, but just took her free hand within his and headed back to the dinner hall to get their dinner as she explained what had happened.

Dragon slipped into Garp's office through a hidden door, and Garp turned to look at him. "You didn't ask her," Dragon said as he approached Garp's desk and sat within the chair she had been seated in moments before.

"No, I did not," Garp said as he sat down and lifted his eyes towards the doors beyond Dragon. "Not yet, anyway. It wasn't a good time."

"It's time sensitive," Dragon said and frowned back at his father.

"I am aware of that, Dragon. I will ask tomorrow. I want to speak with Luffy as well," Garp replied with a sigh. "It won't be easy."

"No, it won't," Dragon said and turned his head to gaze out of the window.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Ending Author's Note:** Ominous… Very ominous… What didn't he ask her!? D: _I don't know_! Actually, I do. :P Bahahahaha! Garp is such a softy! Stay tuned for the next chapter! :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Here's the third chapter for ya, ladies and gents. Life can be pretty damn difficult and complicated, can't it? It seems like it's always one thing after another, but I'm not letting it get me down this time. I _will_ write my book, and I _will_ share it with the world. I have to… Please enjoy, and keep strong out there. :)

 **Charmed Heart**

 **Chapter 3**

Confusion filled Nami as she seemed to not have any control over her body, and she was thrown into something strange. There was a fight. They were fighting. Who were they fighting? Why were they fighting?

She could see Luffy just before her, using magic she had never seen him use before, and she herself was using magic she was not familiar with. It seemed her enemy was out of focus, but she could tell it was a woman. What started this fight?

The image shifted, and she was now lying over the ground, reaching out towards Luffy with a bloody hand. He was gazing back at her, and from the blood dribbling from his lips, she knew it was not good. She took his hand within hers, and then she realized, his eyes were gazing off without any life within them. He was dead. "I'm sorry, my love," she heard herself whisper, and then another voice seemed to call to her, but she could not hear what was said.

Nami sat up with a gasp and a cry as she hyperventilated, clutching at the severe pain within her chest. It hurt; it hurt so much.

"Nami," Luffy called as he sat up beside her and reached out for her, though he hissed to the pain in his heart from her.

She cried out again in her disorientation and turned to press her hand to his bare chest. She gazed back at him, and she almost could not recognize him.

"Nami, it's okay - It's okay. It was just a bad dream. Come here," Luffy whispered as he pulled her into his arms, despite her weak attempt to push him back.

With each harsh breath she took, the harder and harder it was for her to breathe, and before long, she broke into sobs as she clung to him.

"Shh, it's okay…" he continued to whisper to soothe her as he caressed her back and also began rocking her.

It seemed like forever before she calmed down enough to think about the nightmare she just had. She never had such a horrible dream before, even after she had been attacked by all those men as well as her ten year enslavement with Arlong, and what was worse was how real it had seemed. She could almost remember the smells, and she definitely remembered the pain, physical and emotional.

"Nami, are you okay? What did you dream about?" Luffy whispered as he reached up to caress her cheek, but she just shook her head and buried her face within his chest. She could feel him sigh, and then he whispered, "Okay, I understand…" He then laid back down within the bed and brought her down to lie over his chest. "It wasn't about the time I kidnapped you, was it?"

The tiniest of giggles bubbled out of her, and she shook her head, nuzzling into his chest a bit.

The sound of his deep chuckle rumbled within his chest, and then he said, "Good… Was it about… Arlong? Or… when those men attacked you?"

She lost all humor, but then after a while, she gave a slow shake of her head. It was definitely not about those times. It was not even something that happened at all.

"I guess… that's good too. Sorry, I won't ask anymore," he whispered, and she knew he was just worried about her, but she did not want to talk about what she had seen in her dream; at least, not yet. She felt as he turned his head towards their window and whispered, "The sun is rising. Want to get some breakfast?"

"Yeah," she whispered after a while and sat up to offer him a hesitant smile.

"Okay, let's get ready then," he whispered and leaned up to kiss her forehead before tossing back the covers. She watched as he moved to pull on one of his crisp white shirts and tucked it within the pants he slept in.

With a sigh, she also moved to change behind the screen. However, she stood there for some time, but then she turned to stare at the screen separating them. She knew he was just on the other side, waiting for her to come out with the patience of a saint. Closing her eyes, she lowered her head and just changed into one of her many dresses.

As she walked out, she gave him a wary smile and said, "Okay, I'm ready."

He smiled right back and held his hand out for her to take. She glanced down at it, and then she stepped up to clasp it with hers. He then turned and led her out of their room towards the dinner hall.

Throughout the entire meal as Luffy and their friends laughed and chatted, Nami remained silent, only offering smiles when the others laughed. Every now and again, Luffy would glance in her direction, to which she could not bring herself to look at him. She knew he was still worried, and even more so, due to her silence. She could also feel as the others looked to her as well, most likely wondering if she was okay, but were being polite enough not to ask.

"Luffy, Nami."

Both Luffy and Nami turned to see Dragon standing just behind them with a solemn look to his face, and she could feel Luffy tensing beside her. She shifted her eyes towards him, but did not look at him, but then she looked back towards Dragon.

"What is it?" Luffy asked as he frowned back at his father.

"We need to speak to the both of you. It's urgent," Dragon replied, and he did not need to specify who "we" was.

Luffy nodded as he stood and turned to hold his hand out to Nami. Nami hesitated as she kept her eyes on Dragon, and she felt an ominous feeling wash over her. Taking Luffy's hand, she got to her feet and just allowed Luffy to lead her to Garp's office.

Garp held his gaze on the couple as they entered with worry etched onto his face, and this had Luffy even tenser, which made Nami tense. What was happening?

"What's going on?" Luffy asked as he looked between his father and grandfather.

"Have a seat, both of ya," Garp said, unblinking.

Nami looked up towards Luffy, who was frowning deeper now, seeing as he did not move forward to sit right away, but after a while, he did, leading Nami towards the chairs before Garp's desk.

"What's going on, old man?" Luffy now demanded as soon as both of them were seated.

Garp took a long, deep breath, and then he said, "We've been informed that war was declared against our guild."

"What?" Nami whispered as her eyes grew with shock to this news.

"Who the hell would be stupid enough to declare war on our guild!?" Luffy demanded in anger as he sat up.

"Someone plenty stupid… Teach has allied himself with that puppet master, Doflamingo, you let get away, and the two of them managed to break a few more of our enemies out of the heavily warded prison just two weeks ago," Garp said as he sat back within his chair.

" _What_!? Two weeks ago!? Why haven't you said anything sooner!?" Luffy demanded as he shot up from his chair.

"Sit down, boy," Garp said as he nodded back down to Luffy's chair.

Luffy scowled back at his grandfather for some time, refusing to comply right away, but then he dropped back down within his chair.

"Our scouts say they've fled far from here, most likely to regroup and plan their attack, but we know it's only a matter of time before they _do_ attack. Honestly, we thought the dragon you brought back might have been the start of that attack," Garp explained.

"You still should have said something sooner. Two weeks is too long to have waited before telling me," Luffy said, keeping his deep frown fixed on his grandfather.

"Stupid boy, we've known about the declaration for a few months now," Garp replied with a huff.

"You, _what_!?" Luffy growled, looking even angrier as he stood up, slamming his palms into his grandfather's desk.

Garp narrowed his eyes at Luffy and said, "We weren't intimidated by their empty threats. They were just whining about you meddling with their affairs."

"And now that they've busted out a few other mages from prison, you finally feel threatened? Who the hell did they bust out?" Luffy growled with a half scowl in disgust.

Garp took another deep breath, and then he said, "Croc, Enel... Moriah... Pretty much everyone you've fought against and thrown in prison, which was a lot."

Nami took in a gasping breath at the mention of Moriah, and she shot up within her seat. That was the mage who had cursed Luffy with not being able to sleep.

Luffy's jaw took a gradual descent as he gaped back at his grandfather, and then so did he as he dropped back into his chair. However, when his grandfather lowered his eyes, Luffy whispered, "Pretty much everyone I've fought against? There's more... isn't there?"

"Yes, there's more," Garp replied as he lifted his eyes again towards them. "They've also freed Arlong... and Alvida, and some of my enemies, as well as Dragon's."

Nami took in a much harsher gasp as she stood right up and moved behind her chair to begin pacing, all eyes following after her.

After a moment of watching her, Garp broke the silence and said, "I've called back every member of the guild in preparation for an attack. The idiots may have also allied themselves with other mages for all we know."

"I see," Luffy replied in a thoughtful tone.

Nami could no longer hear their conversation as she continued to pace, and all she could think about was the dream she had that morning. The more she thought about it, the more she began to panic. When she finally realized they were calling her name, she gasped and turned to look back at them with fear in her eyes.

Her eyes found Garp's, and then she whispered, "That's why you gave me the necklace… and joined me to the guild."

"Yes… Being a part of this guild also offers you more protection. I understand that this means you are also a target and in danger," Garp explained, but then he said, "and at the same time, joining you to the guild was just… overdue. Your talents other than just your Charmed Heart ability are above average. You are a very intelligent girl, and you picked up the incantations and usage of magic far more quickly than most mages do. You are overall an exceptional mage."

Nami blinked back at the matter of fact way he stated such praise, and she felt her cheeks heat with the flattery. "I see…" she whispered after a moment as she lowered her eyes.

"Nami," Garp said, drawing her attention once more, "as I stated before, I have called back every member of the guild to fight in this upcoming war," he started, and her heart pulsed in a painful way before it dropped, knowing what he was about to ask next, "and seeing as you _are_ new to magic, as well as the guild, I am _asking_ you, if you will help us in the war to come. Will you help us?"

Sucking in her breath, her head snapped over towards Luffy, who was looking back at her, and that was the moment she realized that Luffy would be participating in this war without question.

"No."

Luffy lifted his chin slightly as he gazed back at her, but then he said, "It's okay, Nami. You don't have to fight."

"No!" she repeated with more force.

Appearing confused now, Luffy just stood up and went to her. "Nami, I already said it was alright. You don't have to fi-!"

"You can't fight either!" she cried, frantic as she reached out and clutched his robes over his chest. "You _can't_!"

He blinked to this as he leaned back, and his eyes shifted between hers, as if noting the deep terror behind the chocolate brown orbs. "Nami… I have to fight. This is my family's guild, and those are some of _my_ enemies."

"That's why you can't fight! They'll be trying to kill _you_! You _can't_ fight! You _can't_!" she cried as a few tears began to fall.

"Nami, I'm going to fight," Luffy replied in a much softer voice than she was using in an attempt to calm her.

"No! I'm telling you no! I can't let you! I won't!" she screamed in her panic as she pounded his chest with her fist, and the tears were now pouring down her face.

"Nami," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around hers to keep her from hitting him further, "I have to."

"Just as he said, I'm afraid Luffy has to fight. He's one of the strongest members of this guild," Garp said in a firm, no nonsense voice, though he sounded remorseful to the fact that she was terrified and in pain.

Now that she could no longer pound against his chest in her frustration and fear, as well as to the fact that she was not going to win this argument, she allowed herself to go limp against him as she began to sob and just clung to his robe. Her body began to quake, and so his arms tightened more around her to comfort her.

After a while of letting her cry it out, Luffy whispered to her, "I'm sorry, Nami. I have to do this, and I have to keep you safe, too. Let's go back to our room, okay?"

She did not speak, but she did nod her head. She wanted to be away from the other two men. She just wanted to be alone with Luffy.

"I'll be making an announcement for the other members present here at the guild tonight at dinner," Garp informed his grandson before he left.

"I understand. We'll be there," Luffy said and swept Nami up into his arms to carry her out while Dragon opened the door for them. "Thanks, Dad," he replied in a quiet voice to his father as he stepped out with Nami.

"You're welcome," Dragon muttered as he watched his son walk away with his fiery woman. Once they were out of hearing range, he muttered, "Just as I said… it wasn't easy."

"Of course not… She loves him," Garp muttered as well with a sigh as he leaned back within his chair to stare up at the ceiling.

Dragon moved back inside and sat down before his father. "Too bad she won't be fighting in the war. We really could have used her abilities."

"I'm not so sure she won't be."

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Dragon asked as he raised a brow at his father.

"I said so, didn't I? She loves him… a lot, and though she can be a bit of a coward, she's a fiery woman, and I know she would do anything to protect Luffy. After all, what usually takes women with her abilities years to learn their song of enchantment, she learned in a few minutes, all in order to protect him. She'll be fighting in the war right alongside him," Garp replied in a voice so quiet, he was barely heard.

"Protect _him_? Wasn't she trying to keep him from killing _her_? She was trying to protect herself," Dragon said, his brows rising higher, but furrowing as well.

"Is that the way you see it?" Garp asked in a casual tone as he continued to study the wood beams along his ceiling, as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world.

"Well… yeah… How do you see it?" Dragon asked, curious now.

"Don't you remember how love works?" Garp asked with a scoff. "She didn't want Luffy to be the one to kill her, because she knew it would hurt him most. She also didn't want to lose _him_ by dying. She was desperate to save herself… because of him. Last thing she would ever want to do is hurt him in any way. Like I said, she'll be fighting."

Dragon scratched his forehead as he thought about this, and then he just shook his head. "You're strange, old man."

"Thanks," Garp muttered, still appearing in thought.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Ending Author's Note:** Ouch, war, huh? Nami isn't happy. :( So, that's what they needed to talk to her/them about. X( Anyways, hope you guys continue to enjoy. As for me, I just realized I made a fairly huge mistake there at the end. Going to need to fix it before I post… You know, because I can do that since I wrote it all before posting it! :D BAHAHAHAHA! Until next time. ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** So, someone informed me I hadn't added Luffy and Nami's name when adding this fic, but the only problem is, I did. I wonder why it didn't hold. At any rate, I've added them back in. Here's hoping it sticks this time. Also, I can't reply to any of my recent reviews! DX Both my Hotmail and FFnet have been giving me trouble lately…

Anywho, I completely forgot to inform you guys what music got me through this fic! D: I was stuck at the end for _months_ , and I just could not figure out what I wanted to do! I decided to do a search for Celtic music, since that's the music I hear for Fairy Tail. They kind of use like this Celtic rock music. xD The first thing that popped up was Adrian von Zeigler's music, which I have some of his music, so I was like, HELL YEAH! Well, I heard a song from him called Wolf Blood, and in that same instant of listening to it, an idea came to me! :D Then I heard Prophecy from him, and even more ideas flooded my head! He also has some Celtic rock music too, which he calls Pagan rock. It's also good. So, seriously, you should check out his music. :3 Anyways, I won't keep ya any longer! Enjoy! :D

 **Charmed Heart**

 **Chapter 4**

Luffy took Nami back to their room, and they both remained silent the whole way. He kicked the door closed behind them and moved to sit with her at the window seat.

He cradled her to him and asked, "Are you okay?"

"No," she whispered right away in reply. "Of course I'm not okay, Luffy. None of this is in any way okay."

"Fair enough," he muttered and gave her a squeeze. "I'm sorry, Nami. I know it's hard, but I promise I'll come back to you."

"You can't make that promise, Luffy," she said, lifting her head to look up at him.

Luffy huffed and said, "Shouldn't you believe in me?"

Nami shook her head and said, "I do believe in you, Luffy. I believe that you are very strong, and I know you'll fight your hardest, but this is war, Luffy. People get lost in wars, and people _are_ lost in wars. Wars are chaos. People are going to die. That's what happens in wars. _You_ could die. That's reality."

Luffy gave a sigh and gave her words some thought. She was right, and he knew that. He had only wanted to comfort her and make her feel better, but she was smarter than that, and she was scared. "You're right, it is. I'll do my best to come back to you."

"You won't be coming back to me, Luffy," she replied, making him frown and his heart to pang with pain, "because I'll be right there with you. We'll protect each other."

He leaned back in some surprise, and his expression relaxed into a gentle frown. After his surprise subsided, he smiled back at her with a nod and whispered, "That's right. We'll protect each other."

She gave a crisp sigh and said, "Good, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I was half expecting a fight."

Luffy chuckled to this and said, "I believe in you, too, Nami. We work really well together." As he said this, he pressed his forehead to hers with a gentle and loving grin.

She gave to him the same smile and whispered, "We really do, don't we?"

"Shishishi! Yes, we do. We even took on a dragon. Together, I know we can do anything, and even if we don't succeed, we'll go out together," he whispered, bringing his face closer to hers.

Tears welled within her eyes at the thought, but then she whispered, "Together." She then leaned in the rest of the way, touching her soft lips to his.

His heart about swelled to the brink with his love for this woman to the point that it was almost painful. He kissed her back just as loving as she did for him, and his arms brought her much closer. It felt as if their hearts were touching, and they seemed to beat as one; a much stronger heartbeat. He could feel the love in her heart, it being something she was never good at hiding.

He pulled back from the kiss, but kept his forehead to hers, and he whispered, "I love you, Nami."

With a sniffle, she whispered, "I love you, too, Luffy."

His soft, loving smile returning, he cupped both her cheeks and used his thumbs to dry her tears. "That's all that matters to me, and knowing that will fuel me. I'll stay alive, for you."

"I'll stay alive for you, too, Luffy," she whispered as she smiled.

A deep chuckle rumbled within his chest, and then he asked, "Now do you feel better?"

She gave a quiet huff of laughter as she leaned forward, hiding her face within his chest, but she whispered, "Yes, I do. Thank you, Luffy."

"Of course, Nami. I just want you to be happy. We'll get through this," he whispered, once again wrapping her into his warm and safe embrace, and they remained this way for some time as they gazed out of the window together. Luffy then smiled as he gazed outside, and then he whispered, "You're getting better at it. You really are an exceptional mage, Nami."

"What?" she whispered, looking up at him in confusion to his strange remark.

Looking down at her with his smile, he chuckled and said, "You didn't make it rain."

She looked outside, as if realizing this, and then she burst into laughter, and he joined her.

x x x x

When everyone was called into the dinner hall for dinner, they knew something big was about to happen, and the apprehension was thick within the large room.

As soon as the Guild Master and Dragon stepped into the room, all eyes followed them. Others glanced towards Luffy as well as Ace, knowing the two already knew what was about to be said; their grim and solemn expressions gave that away.

Garp and Dragon moved to the center at the front end of the dinner hall and turned to face their guild members.

Garp regarded them all, first searching for Luffy and Ace's faces before taking in a breath, and then he said, "I've called you all here to inform you that no jobs are to be taken and no one is to leave until further notice. We've been informed that a group of mages has declared war on our guild, and though normally we would not be concerned, this group does pose a threat to us."

There was a slight, even if quiet uproar as the members began whispering to each other in surprise and disbelief, once again glancing to Luffy and Ace, neither of which were surprised by this news.

"I've already called back members who are away from the guild to prepare for any kind of assault they may attempt. As far as our scouts know, the group is still far away, but we need to expect anything. We won't be caught with our pants down," Garp said, and there was a roar of approval as well as a call that they were all prepared for war.

Garp nodded his head with satisfaction and said, "Now enjoy your dinner and relax. In the coming days, we prepare for war!"

There was another, much louder roar of approval as well as a chant Nami was unfamiliar with. She even turned to Luffy who also chanted it with a satisfied smirk on his face. "Will of D?" she whispered to herself before glancing over towards Garp, who was also smirking wide with his own satisfaction.

She then just hummed in thought. Perhaps it was just in reference to the guild name, Devil's Fist, but then she remembered Luffy's full name; Monkey D. Luffy. They could not be just chanting it for him. There had to be a reason for it. She would need to ask him.

After the chanting stopped and everyone began to eat their dinner, Garp made his way towards their group, looking towards the other three new members of their guild. Once he reached them, he said, "The three of you are new to our guild, and so I'll understand if you don't wish to participate in this war. We won't think less of you, and you won't be forced to do so."

Zoro gave a lazy smirk and said, "Way I see it, we are a part of this guild now. We can't and won't walk away from this. We'll defend what's now ours as well."

"I agree with the moss head. We'll fight to defend it," Sanji said and nodded his head at Garp with a smile.

Robin also smiled and said, "We would think less of ourselves, even if you did not, if we did not stay to fight alongside our friends."

Both Zoro and Sanji hummed their agreement of what she said and nodded.

Garp grinned wide with a satisfied nod and said, "It will be an honor to fight alongside friends."

The two men grinned, while Robin smiled, and then they called their agreement to this, and then Garp turned and headed off with Dragon.

"You will be fighting as well, Nami-san?" Sanji asked as he looked over at her.

"Of course I will. I won't turn my back on my friends or Luffy," Nami said as she leaned against Luffy who gave a soft snicker.

"I'll do my best to fight and heal. I'll keep you guys alive. So don't worry," Chopper said and chuckled.

They all joined in his laughter. "We should practice our magic together to prepare," Ace said, though he was smirking at Luffy.

"Yeah, we should," Luffy replied as he smirked in return. "The others will be returning as well."

"Yup!" Ace replied with a wider smirked.

Luffy snickered as he looked down at Nami and said, "You will all get to meet them when they return."

Nami leaned her head back to smile up at him and said, "We look forward to it."

"We definitely look forward to it," Zoro said with a chuckle, and then he drank from his mug of ale.

"I can't wait to see them again," Chopper said with uninhibited excitement.

Nami smiled at Chopper and looked to the others, but when she noticed Robin was gazing back at Luffy with her chin in her palm and a thoughtful look in her eyes, she became curious.

"Eh? Robin? Is something wrong?" Luffy asked, making Nami look up at him, instead.

"The chant you were all chanting earlier," Robin said, "I'm curious about it. I've heard about this Will of D before. Your middle initial is D, isn't it?"

Nami perked and said, "I was curious about this, too." She returned her gaze to Luffy and said, "I was going to ask you what it meant."

Luffy tilted his head as he also glanced down at Nami, but then he looked back up at Robin and said, "Yeah, it is. My Gramps and dad have it too, and so does Ace."

They all looked at Ace, who just smiled at them, but then Luffy said as he pointed at someone, "See that big guy over there, drinking a bunch of ale? His name is Jaguar D. Saul. He's not related to us, but we're all D's."

Nami frowned as she watched the big guy spill more of his ale down his chest than drink it, but then she looked up at Luffy. "What does that mean?"

Luffy just shrugged and said, "We don't really know. No one does." He then lost all humor as he frowned and said, "Even Teach is a D. His name is Marshall D. Teach."

"They say anyone with the name of D has a strong will, stronger than any, even after death, which is what the chant is for. It's just kind of like a battle cry," Ace said and chuckled.

Nami hummed to herself as she leaned against Luffy and gave this some thought.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Ending Author's Note:** Well, that was fascinating… but something we already know, right? XD Anyways, please keep enjoying and reviewing, if you can! :P I'd really appreciate it! Until next time!


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**./. So, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. :3 I'm considering posting 2 chapters today, but do I feel like editing 2? I don't know… I'm a bit late in posting today. I had some things to do… Also, FFnet is broken. It seems to think any reviews I get aren't there when I try and reply to them. So, I'm not ignoring you guys, I swear! I just can't reply to you. ;_; Thanks so much for the reviews you've given me! :D Anyways, enjoy!

 **Charmed Heart**

 **Chapter 5**

Luffy and Nami made their way back to their room that night in silence, seeing as she was still thinking about what was said about his middle initial. "You're very strong," she said out of the blue, making him look at her.

He then grinned in response to this and said, "So are you, Nami."

She smiled with a chuckle, but then she said, "I just mean, you and your family are very strong. So was Teach, and you are all D's. Maybe you're all strong, because of the strong will Ace spoke of."

He tilted his head to this as he opened their door and said, "Yeah, I suppose so."

Nami nodded as she stepped inside, and Luffy closed the door behind them before moving towards a chair to pull off his robe.

She stood where she was by the door as she watched as he also removed his shirt in preparation for bed, and then she glanced over towards the screen she used to change behind every morning and every night.

Just as it had that morning, the thought came to her again. Why did she always change behind the screen?

Turning her gaze back to him, he was now seated within the chair and removing his boots. He never even questioned this either, and he never pushed her to move their relationship to the next level. Even now, with the war looming, he allowed her to move at her own pace.

Her eyes softened with love as she gazed back at him. He was always so patient and so very good to her, and she loved him so much for it.

Taking in a breath, she slipped out of her dress and let the garment fall to the floor. When he finally stood and then looked up at her, she saw as his body froze to seeing her bared chest. The only thing she wore was her underwear.

He finally took in a breath, his shock subsiding, and then he looked away with a deep flush to his cheeks. "Nami?"

"Don't look away," she whispered and took steps towards him.

She watched as his bare chest and shoulders began to rise and fall with his deeper and harsher breaths. Then after some hesitation, he turned to look at her again, and she saw as his breath hitched.

Smiling to his reaction at finally being able to see her, she took more steps until she was standing before him. His lids fluttered as he forced his eyes to rise to look into hers.

Reaching out, she cupped his cheeks, caressing them with her thumbs, and she watched in awe as his eyes softened with love as he gazed back at her. Her heart fluttered, and it felt as if it just might float away.

Leaning in, she pressed her lips into his, and he leaned in to meet her halfway. She felt his strong arms wrap around her, pulling her closer, and she shuddered to the feel of his hard chest against her soft one. She smiled, feeling and hearing his intake of breath as her breasts pressed into him. No more did he fall asleep at the contact with her. He was all caught up with his sleep.

She slipped her arms over his shoulders, pressing even more into him, and she could not help the moan which escaped her. It felt so good with how his hot skin touched against hers.

When he cupped her back cheeks and lifted her up to wrap her legs around his waist, she moaned again with another shudder and thrust her tongue within the burning depths of his mouth. Why had they not done this sooner? She had never wanted anything as much as she wanted this in that moment.

She held him tight as he walked with them towards their bed and fell with her onto it. She released a much louder and longer moan as his tongue tangled with hers, and she lifted her hips to grind against the hardness she could feel.

Luffy pulled back from the kiss to gaze down at her, but then he leaned in to kiss along her chin as he began to grind back against her. "Nami," he groaned out in a deep, husky voice to which she nearly did not recognize.

The sound of it rendered her breathless, and the moment she dropped her head back to take in a gasping breath, his lips came down over her throat; his teeth scraping along her flesh. She cried out with a deep moan, and her hands slipped between them, trying to undo his pants.

He pushed himself up slightly to make it easier for her, and once they were undone, he kicked them off. His hand then also came down to her underwear and began pulling them off. She, too, lifted her hips to make it easier for him.

Once they were gone, his lips moved lower until they found her breasts. He began to suckle and nibble on them, drawing more and more cries and moans of pleasure from her, especially to his stiff hardness grinding into her damp heat.

After a while, she could not take it anymore, and so she whispered, "Please, Luffy."

As if understanding what it was she was pleading for, he pulled back to align himself with her, and then he began to push himself into her with careful precision.

Gasping out to the sudden sting of pain as he pushed through her virginity, she wrapped her arms and legs tighter around him. The pain was not too severe, and it was also fleeting, but yet he remained still for her to adjust to him within her.

With a moan, she began kissing over his face, and then she began to rock her hips against him. He seemed to get the message, as he pulled out of her, and then pushed right began in, in one smooth and slow stroke.

"Yes, Luffy," she moaned out as she spread herself for him and dug her heels into the bed. She then began to move to encourage him to do the same.

It was glorious as they began to move in rhythm together, and never before had she experienced such pleasure. When he moaned deeply within her ear, she thought that perhaps he had not either.

When the pleasure exploded, she threw her head back with a much louder cry than the ones before, and her body quaked and shuddered to the intense pleasure which coursed through to her very core. In almost the same moment, she heard Luffy take in a sharp breath as he pushed in deep, and then he, too, began to shudder as he rested his body over hers.

With a softer moan, she wrapped her arms about him, pressing her body into his. He gave a deep sigh, and then rolled to his side, bringing her with him. She lay half over him with a leg over his lower half and an arm around him. They both breathed deep as they attempted to catch their breaths and calm their racing hearts.

She smiled and buried her face within his chest with a chuckle. Her smile managed to grow wider when she felt and heard his much deeper chuckle within his chest. Lifting her head, she graced him with her bright smile, and then she said, "We should have done that sooner."

He chuckled again as he gave her a squeeze, and then he said, "It's alright that you wanted to wait."

She lost some of her smile as she gazed back at him, and then she whispered, "I'm not even sure I was waiting. After all, we said we would be together until the end. I just… think I didn't know how to… I suppose it was all just new. I didn't have time for relationships with Arlong and all. I guess I just didn't know how to bring it up. I began to wonder why I bothered dressing behind a screen. I suppose I was just used to it. I finally decided… it was time to stop using it." She gazed back at him in silence for a while, and then she whispered as her cheeks flushed, "I like the way you look at me… I think I always have… even before... when we didn't get along, even if I did complain... I liked the way you looked at me."

His eyes seemed to glimmer behind his heavy lids as he gazed back at her unblinking, and then he reached up to caress her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "You're beautiful, Nami," he whispered to her, sending shivers down her back.

A slow smile formed over her lips, and then she said, "I liked the way you looked too. I definitely still do." As she said this, she looked down at his chest and traced her fingers along the hard lines and creases.

A deep chuckle rumbled from within his chest, making her smile grow, and then he said, "We did say we'd be together until the end, didn't we?"

"We did," she whispered as she lifted her eyes back to his.

He smiled back at her, but then he took in a breath and whispered, "But I never did ask."

She bit into her lip and lowered her eyes. "No, I guess it wasn't really needed," she whispered with a shrug.

He took a gentle hold of her shoulders to lift her up and slipped out of the bed. She remained sitting up as she watched him walk over towards his robe, all the while, admiring his body as he walked. He dug around within his magic pocket, tossed his robe back down and then came back to her. Her cheeks flushed as her eyes lingered below, but then she looked up at him when he sat down before her and held something up to her.

"It is needed," he said as he held up the same ring he once gave to her to wear when she had been afraid of all the men approaching her. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up at him, though she released an amused huff to the memory of the rings. However, the humor soon left her, and she was left with the tears yet to be shed, feeling as her heart soared with love and excitement. So, maybe it was needed. "Will you marry me, Nami? Will you be my wife?"

A wayward tear found its way down her cheek as she gazed back at him. She took in a breath and whispered, "Yes," and then she smiled, "of course I will."

He graced her with the brightest grin, the same grin he gave to her on the day she accepted his confession. He took up her hand, remembering this time that it was the left hand, and placed the ring onto her ring finger.

With a nasally giggle, she watched him slip the ring onto her finger, and then she threw her arms around him. He chuckled right along with her, wrapped her up into his arms, and then fell back into the bed with her. "I love you, Luffy!" she whispered with all the feeling she had inside.

"I love you, too, Nami," he whispered in reply with all the love and tenderness she felt for him as well.

Leaning back, she found his lips with hers, kissing him with all that love and tenderness they felt for one another. They made love once again, taking it much slower this time around as they learned each other's bodies. Once they reached that wonderful end together again, they laid together as they began to relax.

After a while, she leaned up and gave to him a bright smile, which he returned. She then lay cuddled beside him as she went back to tracing his muscles, and then she said, "You and your father were given the initial D in your names. Does that mean our children will have it, too?"

Luffy nodded his head and replied, "Yes, they will inherit it as well as the will."

Nami nodded as well and whispered, "I understand." Then after a while, she whispered, "I'd like children."

He grinned wide to this and whispered, "So would I."

She smiled as well and whispered, "Good, then we are in agreement."

"We're in agreement."

"After tonight, we may well be on the way to that," she said and laughed with a quiet softness.

"We may well be," he repeated in a whisper as he offered to her a loving smile.

She was in thought for a moment, but then she looked up at him and said, "The ones you told me, who held the initial D, they were all men. Does that mean only men hold the name?"

Luffy smiled back at her as he gave her cheek a caress with his thumb, and then he shook his head as he said, "Ace's mother was a D. It's not just men who carry the name... and the will."

"I see," she whispered, still gazing back at him. She then lowered her head to rest upon his chest as she gave this more thought.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Ending Author's Note:** Whoa… ./. Love is awesome! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! :D Until next time!


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** Yeaaaah, so I went on ahead and edited another chapter for you guys. So, be happy! D: Nah, I'm messin'. :) I do hope you guys enjoy this chapter too! :D

 **Charmed Heart**

 **Chapter 6**

The next day, members of the guild began to fill into the guild hall as they returned to prepare for the war. As they returned, they were greeted by the members already there. Two men entered into the guild at the same time, and Luffy and Ace perked.

"Law, Sabo!" Luffy cried as the young man rushed forward towards them.

A blonde man with a hat, as well as a large scar over his left eye, grinned to the younger man's greeting and opened up his arms to accept his embrace. "Luffy!"

The dark haired man beside the blonde offered a mere smile and called in a calm tone, "Luffy-ya, Ace-ya."

Ace smirked wide as he also moved forward to greet the men. "Long time no see, you two."

Sabo reached out to pull Ace into the same hug and said, "It's good to see my brothers again! You been taking care of our little brother?"

Ace chuckled and said, "Trying to, but you know how he is."

"Oi! I can take care of myself!" Luffy said as he pouted back at Sabo, who just laughed as he pulled Luffy's hood down over his face. Luffy perked and just pushed his hood back and said, "I want you guys to meet some people!"

"Oh?" Sabo asked as he blinked back at Luffy.

Law, however, glanced over toward the others standing there. A green haired man, another blonde man, a dark haired beauty, and an orange haired beauty. However, his eyes lingered on the orange haired woman, who was smiling at Luffy in a way only a lover could, and his head tilted to the side.

Luffy turned back to the others there, but Sabo and Law smiled at Chopper first and greeted him. "Hey, Chopper!" Sabo exclaimed as he also hugged the little reindeer boy, who flushed with giggles to the hug.

"It's good to see you both again! I missed you guys!" Chopper exclaimed as he also went to hug Law, who pet over his head.

"It's good to see you again too, Tony-ya," Law said as he smiled down at him.

"Alright, so who are our new friends?" Sabo asked as he grinned to the four.

"They're new guild members. This is Zoro, Sanji, Robin… and Nami," Luffy said, leaving Nami for last, and the way he said her name was different.

"And Nami," Sabo repeated with a smirk as he glanced over towards Luffy.

Nami just smiled as she lowered her gaze to the floor for a moment before lifting it again towards them, but then she held out a hand and said, "It's nice to meet you."

"Believe me when I say, it's a pleasure. I'm Sabo, Luffy and Ace's brother," Sabo replied as he took her hand to shake it.

It was clear, with him looking so different, that he was not related by blood to either Ace or Luffy, just as the two were also not blood related.

Luffy pouted back at Sabo, but then he huffed and said, "Nami's my fiancé."

"Fi-" Sabo started to repeat in question as his head snapped over at Luffy, and then over at Ace for confirmation. He had not expected that at all. He had just thought Luffy had a thing for the girl.

Ace just chuckled as he nodded and said, "Gramps has already accepted her into the family. I do believe he's taken a liking to her."

"Well now," Sabo said, still in surprise as he turned back towards the beautiful, young woman and said, "I like her already."

Nami huffed to this and said, "The old man's made up for what he did to me, at least. Though, I deserved it."

"Sounds like a really good story behind that comment; one I'd like to hear," Sabo said as he blinked back at this woman. Most people were afraid of the old man. She did not appear afraid of him at all.

"You didn't deserve it," Luffy muttered, his expression holding guilt, which Sabo blinked at him for it.

"Yes I did," Nami replied in a soft tone as she gazed back at him, and Luffy6 lifted his eyes to meet hers. "I was ungrateful, Luffy, and selfish. You offered me freedom, and I demanded more." Moving to him, she cupped his cheeks and whispered, "I never should have done and said all of those horrible things to you. I was in the position I was, because of me. I didn't honor the contract."

"Ouch, dishonored the contract, huh? I can't imagine the old man was lenient," Sabo said and rubbed the back of his head.

"He wasn't, and he was right not to. He has a guild to run. No exceptions should ever be made," Nami said as she smiled up at Luffy, who gazed back at her with love for her understanding of not just with him, but with his grandfather as well. "Besides, I'm glad it all happened the way it did, or else I wouldn't have gotten to know this sweet idiot," she said and chuckled.

Luffy snickered and leaned in to give her a quick kiss, which she returned. Sabo stared at the display of affection, and then he smiled. It was as if, in the moment, he understood it was a real love, and he was happy for his younger brother. He then looked over at Ace and said, "So, our little brother has found someone before we have."

"Ah, yeah… about that… Nami has a sister. Her name is Nojiko, and she is mine," Ace said and smirked back at Sabo.

"Whaaat?" Sabo exclaimed as his jaw dropped, and then he looked around. "So where is this sister?"

Ace lost his smirk as he sighed and said, "She's not a mage. So Gramps sent her home."

"She knew about the war, then?" Nami asked as she turned a soft frown to Ace.

"Yeah, Gramps explained it to her, and she was expressly forbidden from telling you anything until he'd had a chance to speak with you about it. Since he wasn't sure when they would attack, he sent her home. I'm sorry about the quick goodbye. She was really upset with my grandfather for forbidding her," Ace said as he frowned back at her.

Nami sighed and said, "I see; I understand. I did find it weird that she seemed upset, but she wouldn't tell me, and just told me everything would be okay. I think… maybe she expected me to come home. I won't be. I know she'll be angry, but I won't leave Luffy."

Ace smiled back at her and gave a nod. "We appreciate the help. It would have been way harder without you."

Nami felt her cheeks flush to the obvious praise when it came to her abilities, but she just smiled and said, "Of course I'd help. I'm a part of this guild now… and I'm a part of this family."

"Damn right," Ace replied in a soft voice as he smiled back at her with affection.

"Ah, so you're a mage… and really? It would have been harder? You never really struck me as a flatterer," Sabo said, though he looked strangely amused, and at the same time, appeared curious to Ace's obvious affection for the orange haired beauty. A lot had happened since the last time the three had seen one another.

"It's the truth. Nami has a rare ability. Ever heard of the Charmed Heart?" Ace asked as he looked towards Sabo in question.

Both Law and Sabo perked in shock to the mention of such rare and old magic, and then both looked over at Nami. "Charmed Heart? You have the Charmed Heart?" Law asked in amazement.

"I do," Nami replied and moved more towards Luffy.

"Holy shit. You weren't kidding," Sabo replied in his astonishment.

"How come everyone else knows about this magic, when I didn't?" Luffy asked with a pout.

"Because you're an idiot," Ace, Sabo and Law replied at the same time.

"You never did like reading anything other than books that had to do with your specific magic," Sabo said as he laughed at Luffy's deep pout. Even Nami laughed at him as she brought up a knuckle to try and hide it.

Ace laughed as well, but then he continued. "And if you think that's amazing, she's also a genius when it comes to incantations and spell casting. Even the old man acknowledged it. She didn't even know she was a mage a few months ago, but she's already mastered most of the magic classes she's attuned to. It's pretty damned amazing." Ace explained with awe, even though he knew all this already.

"Holy shit," Sabo said again, "that is amazing… In only a few months?"

"And she mastered her Song of Enchantment in a matter of minutes, when it took others like her years! She tamed a dragon!" Luffy added with a proud grin, as if forgetting about their earlier teasing.

"Tamed… a what now?" Sabo whispered, now gaping back at Luffy in disbelief.

"She named him Scales," Luffy said and laughed at Sabo's obvious shock. "He's in the gardens right now. We gotta build a place for him."

"You should'a seen our faces when they brought that dragon home. The old man was pissed, but at the same time, you could tell he was shocked. It was the best thing ever!" Ace said as he laughed. "Scared the shit out of me!"

Nami flushed to all of their awe and flattering praise, and she even turned to hide her face within Luffy. It was a little embarrassing.

"Wow," Law replied in a quiet and calm voice as he glanced over towards Nami. "That's very impressive, Nami-ya."

"I've got to see this dragon," Sabo muttered as he looked between them.

"D-D-Dragon? What's this about a dragon? Wha-What dragon?" a very nervous and nasally voice came from behind Sabo and Law.

Everyone turned to see Usopp, Franky and Brook behind them. "Usopp! Franky! Brook! Welcome back! It's good to see you all again!" Luffy exclaimed as he grinned back at them.

"Ah, yeah! You, too! We haven't seen each other since that exorcism!" Usopp said and grinned right back.

"Usopp!" Chopper cried as he threw himself into Usopp's arms.

"Chopper! Long time no see! How've you been?" Usopp asked with a bright grin as he hugged the reindeer boy.

"I've been really good! How about you?" Chopper asked and smiled up at him.

"I've been awesome!" Usopp replied with a chuckle.

Luffy snickered, and then he finally answered Usopp's question. "Nami tamed a dragon."

"She _what_!?" Usopp exclaimed as his jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out from his head.

"Wow? The little girl tamed a dragon? First she sends ghosts to the other side without magic or exorcism, and then she tames a dragon? Very super!" Franky exclaimed as he posed.

"What? Exorcism without exorcism? Damn, I missed out on some serious shit! Luffy, you got yourself an awesome woman! Don't fuck up! But seriously, I need to see this dragon now!" Sabo said as he headed for the garden.

"Yohohoho~! A dragon tamer!? I must see this dragon as well! And perhaps maybe the amazing lady's underwear as well?" Brook asked as he bowed to Nami.

Both Luffy and Nami exclaimed at the same time, "Like hell!"

"I'd like to see this as well," Law said as he followed Sabo. "Uh, the dragon… not the underwear…" he added, and they all laughed.

"Come to think of it, I've yet to see this dragon," Zoro said with a smirk as he followed, and soon the others followed with a nervous Usopp behind them.

Once they made it outside, they could hear the sleeping dragon's deep, breathing growls, and then they saw it, curled up within a bunching of trees.

"Oye, Scales!" Luffy called in a gentle voice to the dragon to rouse him.

The beast grumbled as he was awakened from his slumber, but seeing them, he groaned and uncurled himself to greet them. However, the moment the dragon got a scent of Nami, it groaned in distress and moved its muzzle close to her. He gave another groan in more distress and began to whine. It was clear the dragon was upset.

"Ah? Scales? What's wrong, boy?" Luffy asked as he scratched his head.

Seeing as the dragon's distraught gaze was on Nami, all eyes went to her. She blinked at the dragon's peculiar behavior, and then she placed her fists on her hips with a frown. "What're you all upset about?"

Ace's eyes came to life with understanding, and then he smirked as he looked over at Luffy. "Dragons like virgins. Nami was a virgin when she tamed him, wasn't she, and now she's not a virgin anymore, is she?"

Luffy looked over at Ace and pressed his lips firm together as his cheeks flushed. Even Usopp and Chopper blushed as their eyes looked about at the others in awkward glances.

Nami also flushed as she looked away from everyone, but then she huffed as she looked back at Scales. "It's not like I would have stayed a virgin just for you, you know."

Scales whined as he laid his head over the grass, looking like one sad dragon. Everyone else besides Luffy and Nami just laughed.

x x x x

"I like her. I like her a lot," Sabo said as he took a drink from his glass.

Luffy smiled behind the rim of his glass as he also took a sip from his. He was pleased that his brothers, and even his father and grandfather, approved of and even liked Nami.

"I'm surprised she let you hang out with us alone. You're always together, and with the coming war, I figured she'd want to spend the rest of the time with you," Ace said as he asked their bartender for another refill.

Luffy chuckled and said, "When I told her you guys wanted to hang out, she readily agreed and said that I should spend time with my brothers. She said she would hang out with Robin."

"I really like her," Sabo said with a grin as he lifted his glass towards them. "Here's to my brothers finding happiness!"

Ace and Luffy grinned as they lifted their glasses and then both replied, "To happiness!"

Then they all downed their drinks at the same time. Just as Sabo set down his glass for a refill, a voice called, "Sabo!"

A body appeared behind him, and a pair of arms came around him to his front. Sabo blinked and turned his head to look at whoever it was, and then he smiled. "Koala, it's been a while," he called to the young, orange haired woman hugging him.

Both Ace and Luffy also blinked to this, and then they exchanged smirks before giving those smirks to Sabo. Sabo turned back to the other two, but leaned back to the smirks they were giving him, and then both Ace and Luffy lifted their glasses again as they said, "To happiness."

"Ah - what?" Sabo asked, confusion filling his half scarred face.

"Mm? To happiness? What're you guys going on about?" Koala asked as she looked at the two over Sabo's shoulder, but then she laughed and said, "You guys are so weird! You always have been! How have you two been?"

"Good," Ace replied as he smiled at her.

"Engaged," Luffy replied with a grin in greeting to her.

She gasped as her mouth formed an "O" shape, and then she gave him a bright smile. "You're engaged, Luffy!?"

Luffy laughed and said, "Yeah! As of last night!"

She gasped again and asked in shock, "Last night!?" She then grinned as she looked about as if she would find her there and asked, "Who is she!? Is she here!? I want to meet her!"

Laughing more in his obvious happiness, Luffy shook his head and said, "She's here in the guild, but she's not here at the bar. She's with another new member, whom we met along our journey together."

Koala gasped yet again as she looked back at Luffy. "You let her out of your sight, and she's with another person?"

"Well, the other new member is a woman," Ace said and chuckled at her.

"So, new members, huh? They must be strong mages in order for the old man to let them in. I want to meet them! But, maybe not now. You guys were hanging out, right? Sorry I interrupted, but I wanted to see you guys! It's been a while, and I just got back. I'll leave you guys to it!" she said as she pulled back from Sabo.

"Thanks, Koala! We'll hang out later, okay?" Sabo said as he smiled at her.

"Of course! I need to settle back in! See you guys!" she said with a bright smile and a wave as she left.

When Sabo turned back towards his brothers, their smirks had returned, making Sabo purse his lips at them. "Don't give me those smirks," he said as he drank from his refilled glass. "And what was with that, "too happiness," crap?"

Luffy and Ace just laughed at him as they drank from their glasses without answering him.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Ending Author's Note:** Yay~! So now we has everyone! Well, more or less… XP Please review both chapters. This would make me happy. :3 I would appreciate it! Stay tuned for the next chapter. :D


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** This has to be one of my favorite chapters, so I really hope you guys enjoy it too. :3

 **Charmed Heart**

 **Chapter 7**

An elegant song drifted through the darkness and along with it came a warmth so comforting, it left Nami feeling at ease and safe. However, when she opened her eyes, warm and safe was not what she saw. She saw Luffy, battling a woman, whose face she could not see, and he was again using magic she had never seen him use before.

She heard herself call out a name she could not even hear, and then she, too, joined the battle. Other mages were attacking them as well, and she was trying as hard as she could to shield herself as well as Luffy from the attacks, while at the same time, hurling her own spells at them. They were outnumbered, but she felt it in her heart that they had to win this. They had someone important they needed to protect.

As she fought, she began to sing that elegant song again, trying her hardest to reach the hearts of the other mages there, who were attacking them. She could hear the other woman yelling at her, and then the woman began to sing a different song as well.

"Use me!"

Nami gasped to the words, the only clear words she had heard in such visions, but it was not Luffy's voice she heard. She was afraid, very afraid, but she did as the voice asked, and without even touching him, together, the two of them brought down their enemies. However, it hurt; it hurt so much inside, and she was already severely injured from the mages' attacks. She collapsed to the ground, but she also watched in horror as Luffy collapsed as well. She crawled across the ground to get to him. He was gazing back at her from where he lay, and his lips moved, as if he spoke to her, but she could not hear his words.

Then another voice drifted within the deafening nothing. "Mama! Papa!"

Nami turned her head to see a young girl, running towards them, but she could not see her face either or even her head. Nami called another name she could not hear, and then she turned back towards Luffy. His blank stare let her know he had passed away. Her heart wrenched, and she released a cry of anguish.

He was gone, and soon she would follow. There was something she had to do first. Nami pulled herself across the ground, and the young girl just followed as she called out to her. "I have to keep you safe," Nami whispered to the girl as she came up to the woman with the blurred face.

She could see the woman's chest rise and fall as she took breaths. Looking about, she saw a knife, one that looked very similar to the one Alvida had carried, sheathed within the woman's belt. She grabbed it and pulled herself up more. Nami gasped inwardly when she stabbed down into the woman's chest and carved out her heart while she was still alive.

Reaching up, she pulled a necklace from around her neck, the very same necklace Garp had given to her, and brought it closer to the heart she held within her hand. She whispered her song, and then muttered an incantation. The necklace began to glow with powerful magic for a moment, and then she dropped the bloody heart.

Turning back to the terrified and crying girl, she held the necklace out to her and whispered, "Wear it always… It will protect you from others like her."

"Mama!" the girl cried, but she took the necklace from her anyway and put it on.

"Never take it off," Nami whispered to her before turning back towards Luffy.

"I won't," the girl said as she wailed her grief.

Nami crawled back towards Luffy and reached out for his hand with the same bloody hand she had held that woman's heart in. It was the same image with him gazing off lifeless with blood dripping from his lips from the dream she had before. However, within a split second, the image of Luffy shifted, showing another man she did not recognize. "I'm sorry, my love," she whispered, and then she began to sob, feeling as her body weakened and the darkness began to take her.

"Mama!"

Nami jumped with a gasp, pressing her hand onto Luffy's bare chest as she sat up a little. This startled Luffy, as he also jumped and took in a breath. He turned his head to look over at her, and as if noticing her distress, he reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Nami? What's wrong? Was it another bad dream?"

Nami was shivering within his arms as she took in heaving breaths, and then she nodded. "It was the same dream… but I saw more," she whispered as she rested her head over his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

"Oh?" he asked, his voice carrying his interest.

Reaching up, Nami clutched the heart pendant she wore and closed her eyes. "I think there are memories within this…"

"Memories?" Luffy asked as he shifted his eyes down to the pendant she held.

"Yes, powerful ones," Nami whispered and opened her eyes once again. "Ever since your grandfather gave it to me, I've had the same dream. It's a horrible dream." She sat up to rest her arms against him and looked up at him. "Do you remember that story you mentioned, the only thing we could find about my abilities?"

Luffy tilted his head as he thought about it, and then he asked, "You mean about that romance with the woman with similar abilities and the man who her powers didn't work on?"

"Yes, and then it said they died," Nami replied with a whisper. "I saw them die."

Luffy blinked in shock at this, and then he said, "What? How?"

"In my dream, silly," she said and pouted back at him.

"Oh, right…" he replied, but then he frowned. "What happened, exactly?"

Taking in a breath, she rested her head on his chest again and whispered, "It was awful… It was a lot like what happened with us and Alvida. He looked like you, though. I could see through her eyes, the woman who owned this necklace. We were fighting a lot of mages and a woman, whose face I could not see. They were both outnumbered, but we fought as hard as we could, because we had to protect our daughter. I think this woman tried to do what Alvida tried to do to me to their daughter."

Luffy was so confused as to how she would switch between referring to these people as them, but then referring back to them as different individuals. However, he listened to what she was saying regardless.

"When we finally managed to bring them all down, I watched as you collapsed. I crawled over towards you, calling your name, but I couldn't hear what she called him. You whispered something to me, but I couldn't hear what he said either, and then I heard our daughter calling to us. When I looked at her, I couldn't see her head. It was blurry. I crawled back to the woman and cut out her heart… She used it to enchant this necklace, and then I gave it to the girl and told her to never take it off. I went back to you… whispered, 'I'm sorry, my love,' and then she died, too. They died together, just as they did in the story," Nami whispered in a confusing jumble as her eyes lost focus, and her hand tightened around the pendant.

Luffy did not speak after she finished, and so she lifted her head to look at him. He was just gazing back at her in silence with a slight frown. He then looked away from her and whispered, "I see…"

"It's why I was so upset when your grandfather told us about the war. Seeing you dead… it terrified me, and then to hear about the coming war? I was so scared… I never want to see you like that, Luffy. I love you too much to lose you," she whispered as tears welled within her eyes.

Looking back at her again with a softer gaze, he pulled her more over his chest and wrapped her up into his embrace. "I'm sorry, Nami. I know you're scared. I wish there was something I could do to take away your fear."

She smiled as she hugged him back, the tears trying to push through her closed lids, and then she whispered, "You have taken away my fear, Luffy."

Smiling as well, he gave her a squeeze and kissed the top of her head. "Good, I'm glad," he whispered as he rested his chin over the top of her head. "I love you, Nami."

She released a soft laugh, and then she whispered, "I love you, too, Luffy, so very much."

x x x x

"We've been informed that they've begun to move."

Everyone began to frown at this announcement as they glanced amongst each other, looking at unease.

"It'll take them six days to reach us, from what we've been told. We need to move as well. We can't bring a war to this city. We move out in the morning after tomorrow to meet them halfway, and it'll give us time to rest before the war," Garp continued to announce. "Make sure you're all ready before then. However, tonight, we feast! We will eat, we will drink, and we will celebrate our time together as a guild!"

A roar of approval erupted as those already drinking lifted up their mugs of ale. Garp grinned with contentment as he gazed upon his large and happy guild, feeling pride. They had grown so much, and it was full of good, hard working and strong people.

After the applause died down, he said, "Tomorrow we rest before the morning, and we spend time with our friends and family, for it may be our last moments we spend with them. Some of us may be lost, but we will never be forgotten, for we are the strongest guild in all of the kingdoms!"

There was another roar from the many members, and then again, as they had done before, they began to chant, "Will of D! Will of D!"

This time, the newest members as well as Nami, began to chant with their guild members, and Garp and Dragon also began to chant it as they raised their fists.

As she chanted, Nami suddenly felt a painful pang from within her heart that made her gasp and lower her arm, which she used to clutch at her chest. Seeing this, Luffy frowned as he leaned over towards her and asked over the chanting, "Nami, are you okay?"

Turning her head to look at him, she just nodded and replied, "Yeah, I'm okay."

"What happened?" he asked, looking down at her hand still clutching over her heart.

"I don't know. It just hurt for a moment. I'm alright, though," she said and offered him a smile.

He did not seem satisfied with this, but he nodded in understanding regardless. He did not go back to chanting with the others, and Nami frowned as she looked away from him. She was not even sure what the pang in her heart was.

Setting the strange pain in her heart aside, Nami celebrated with her friends and newfound family, and she was delighted to meet Koala. Koala got along great with her and Robin.

They ate, they drank and they laughed, just enjoying each other's company. Smiling to her friends and Luffy, Nami looked about and noticed they were running low on ale, and so she excused herself to get another pitcher to serve them.

As she was returning to the table, she gasped as an image danced around within her mind of another celebration. She faltered a step, and a hand flew to her forehead.

Having been watching her, Luffy frowned and jumped to his feet. "Nami?" he called, drawing attention from the others at their table.

Nami looked up at him, but the image popped back into her mind, and this time, it caused her pain. She cried out and started to drop as she grasped her head. The pitcher she carried shattered across the stone floor, spilling ale everywhere.

"Nami!" Luffy cried as he stretched his arms to catch her before she could fall to the floor and over the shattered glass.

All eyes were on the two, and Garp pushed himself up from his table to go see what was going on. "What happened?" he asked as he approached with Dragon behind him.

"I don't know. She just collapsed," Luffy said as he held her within his arms, but the young woman was unconscious.

Luffy pulled her closer to him, and just to be sure, he pressed his fingers to her throat to make sure her heart was beating. His brows dipped down further when he felt a pulse, but instead of a steady pulse, her pulse was racing.

 _Nami opened her eyes, and she could see a large family sitting around a long wooden dining table before an equally large fireplace. There was laughter and talking, and everything about the setting was so warm and comforting. It was also strangely nostalgic._

 _Again, she could not see their heads, for they were blurry, but this time, she did not appear to be seeing through anyone's eyes. She just appeared to be floating with no body as she looked on at the strangers._

 _When she heard the sound of a baby's cry, she felt cold, and she looked over to see a bassinet. She found herself gravitating towards it and peered inside. She took in a harsh breath as she looked in at the crying baby, whose face she could see clearly. However, it was not the face which stilled her heart, but the bit of orange hair covering her head._

 _She heard one of the men speak to the baby, but she did not hear what he said. He walked over and leaned into the bassinet to lift the baby out of it. The baby calmed only a little once in her father's arms, though how Nami knew this man was her father, she was not sure of. In that split second in recognition, his image became clear, and Nami gasped again. The man had the same orange hair crowning his head._

 _When she heard another voice, she turned to see a woman, an older woman, come over towards them. Her heart jumped and began to pound away in furious rhythm as she stared at the necklace around her neck. It was the very same one she wore._

 _Grandmother… It was her grandmother. The girl whom the woman gave the necklace to was her grandmother, and the woman who gave her grandmother the necklace and died was her great grandmother. This man who held the baby version of her was her grandmother's son, Nami's father, and the baby was Nami. This was her family._

 _Another woman came up to them, and Nami turned a much more blurred vision towards her, and she knew this woman was her mother. She could feel the love and the warmth as they all attempted to soothe her. Her heart swelled with pain as the tears fell, though she had no tears to shed._

 _Out of nowhere, there was a cry in alarm and then bells began to toll, and all were drawn to a window. Nami floated over to look out, and she could see that the town was burning. Just then, their door was kicked open, and people flooded the house, carrying bloodstained weapons. They intended to kill her family._

Nami's eyes shot open, making Luffy gasp, seeing as both her irises and pupils were glowing a very bright blue, to the point that they were almost white. A wave of energy shot out of Nami, but it was not an attack. Instead, it was like a bubble encased them, and it felt as if time itself had stopped. The intensity and gravity of it made them feel trapped.

"What the fuck is going on?" Ace asked, feeling weakened as his body was being pulled to the ground.

Luffy cried out as he was forced to release Nami when her body began to float upwards as her arms spread out. "Damn it…" Luffy whispered as he stood up and look up at Nami. "Nami!"

"Son of a bitch!" Garp exclaimed as he dropped to his knees with everyone else to the overwhelming and heavy energy.

Looking about at everyone there, Luffy was shocked to see how they were affected by whatever it was Nami was doing to them. He, however, did not feel anything. Looking back up towards Nami, he reached up and grabbed a hold of her.

"Nami! Nami, stop! Nami, can you hear me?" he called to her, but she continued to stare off, unseeing. "Nami, please hear me! You have to let everyone go! Please, Nami!" he pleaded with her as he brought her close. "Please, listen to me. Hear me," he whispered as he hugged her and closed his eyes, hearing all the others crying out as if in pain. He had to stop her! He opened his eyes, both glowing blue, and then he whispered, "Please, my love…"

Nami gasped to that as if finally hearing him. She lost the glow within her eyes, and then she once again fell unconscious within his arms. Whatever was holding them in place released them, and they all collapsed to the ground, fatigued.

"What the fuck just happened?" Ace asked in astonishment as he gazed back at Nami in awe.

"I don't know," Luffy whispered, blinking his eyes in a rapid flutter as he held Nami to him and gazed down into her troubled face. He reached up to brush her orange hair from her face, feeling astonishment as well. He then lifted her up within his arms and carried her out of the dining hall without saying another word.

"What the hell just happened, old man?" Dragon whispered, his eyes large as he watched Luffy walk off with the woman.

"I wish I knew," Garp whispered as he picked himself back up and dusted himself off, "and I wish we had the time to find out." He then looked about as everyone else picked themselves back up, looking as shaken as he felt, though he tried to hide it.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Ending Author's Note:** I love this chapter! ^u^ What did you guys think? :3 I do wonder what's going on. XD Please stay tuned for the next chapter. ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** Hmm, I've nothing to say, really… Oh, other than I can reply to reviews now! :D But anyway… So… enjoy! :D

 **Charmed Heart**

 **Chapter 8**

When Nami opened her eyes again, she was back within her and Luffy's room, and she felt bewildered. What had happened, and how had she ended up there?

"Nami?" Luffy called as he cupped her cheek to turn her head to look at him. "Are you okay?"

"I - I don't know," she whispered in confusion as she gazed back at him. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Luffy said, frowning even more with his own confusion. "You used a strange power."

"What? Strange power? I didn't hurt anyone, did I?" she asked as she sat up in a panic.

"No, not really - Well, I don't think so, anyway," he said with uncertainty.

"You don't think so?" she asked, even more bewildered now. "I didn't hurt you?"

"Well, no, actually. Whatever you did to the others, it didn't affect me at all," he said as he glanced off in thought. "I don't know why, though. The others seemed okay, though."

"I need to check on them," Nami said, throwing back the covers and swinging her legs off the side to stand, but the moment she stood on her feet, she collapsed back into the bed.

"Wait a minute, Nami," Luffy said, coming up to sit behind her and pulling her against him. "Whatever you did made you pass out. You shouldn't try walking about just yet. Just rest."

"I need to make sure they're okay, and I need to apologize," she said as she turned her head to frown back at him.

He smiled down at her with love and said, "I'm sure they know you didn't mean to hurt them, Nami. You had no control over what happened."

She stared back at him in silence for some time, and then she whispered, "That's a problem. I can't go around losing control like that, especially with the war. I might actually hurt someone I'm not supposed to hurt."

Losing his smile, he took in a deep breath and whispered, "Yeah, that would be bad."

"We don't have much time to figure this out, if at all. We leave in two days," she said, turning her head back to lean against him.

"Yeah," he replied and sighed again. "Do you remember anything?"

She gave a hum as she thought about what happened before she passed out, and then she gasped as she felt a bit of pain within her head. She reached up to grab it with a hum.

"Nami, are you okay?" Luffy called in concern as he pulled her closer to him.

"My head hurts," she muttered with her eyes closed and still clutching her head. An image flashed within her mind, and she shied away from it, even turning her head. "I saw… something…" she whispered, clutching her head harder. "A family… having dinner together… The village was burning… and… people came in and…"

"And?" Luffy asked when she trailed off without continuing.

"Slaughtered them," she whispered as her tears began to fall, and then sobs soon followed.

"Nami?" Luffy called in alarm as he turned her body to hold her more within his arms.

"They killed them, Luffy! I saw them die! I was crying!" she whispered in frantic breaths.

He was not at all sure what to say or what or even who she meant. However, he held her tight as he rocked her. After a while, he whispered, "Who died, Nami?"

Nami sobbed against his chest and took in a sniffled breath as she said, "My family."

Luffy's eyes grew wide, and then he asked, "Your sister and the scarred man?"

Nami shook her head and whispered, "My uncles and aunts… My mother… and father… and my grandmother… The little girl I told you about, the one the woman gave the necklace to, she was my grandmother. She was wearing the necklace. They were caught off guard. They didn't even have a chance to protect themselves. My father tried to save me… He sent me off somewhere… I saw her… Nojiko… as a little girl… She picked me up."

Luffy was horrified to what she was saying, and at the same time, amazed by it. She had seen the death of her real family, and the woman and man in that romance had been her great grandparents, which meant, the necklace was back where it belonged.

"I'm sorry, Nami," Luffy whispered as he held her tight and kissed her head. "I'm so sorry… and I'm so sorry you had to see that."

Nami shook her head and whispered, "I'm glad I got to at least see them… I'm glad I… I know who they were, and I'm glad... that I finally know what happened to them." She looked down at the pendant and lifted it up. "My great grandmother made this for my grandmother. I feel as if I know none of my aunts had the same ability. I think my grandmother would have given it to me once I was older. It's almost as if I can feel them within it."

Luffy glanced down at the heart pendant, and in that moment, he understood that it was the pendant that had done this to her. Was it okay for her to really have it? Even if it was not, it was supposed to protect her, and he also had a feeling he would not be able to convince her to take it off. It belonged to her family, after all.

"You know, I still don't know our family name, and I have no idea what my real name is. Every time they spoke, their voices were muffled," she said and glanced back at him again. "Were their names mentioned in the book?"

Luffy thought about it for a moment, his brows bunching together as he tried to remember. "I don't know. I don't remember. I only skimmed it," he said, looking down at her. "We can always go back to Robin's library with her and read the book again. I'm sure she won't mind."

"Yeah, maybe," she whispered as she lowered her head again. "But, even if it did say their name, my grandmother's name would have changed if she got married."

"Yeah, I suppose so. Maybe we can find other books on them. The way it was written, it seemed like more of a story, as if it didn't actually happen. Maybe whoever wrote it heard it second hand, or maybe they thought it was a story itself, or maybe whoever wrote it wanted to make it seem that way. Maybe we can find something more firsthand," Luffy muttered in thought. He then sighed and said, "However, if your village burned, like you saw and like the scarred old man said it did, then there may be no record of them any longer."

"Yeah," Nami whispered and then sighed as she turned to press her face into him.

"We'll figure it out, Nami, together," Luffy said, caressing over her head with tenderness.

"Okay. Thanks, Luffy," she whispered and smiled up at him.

"You don't have to thank me, Nami," he whispered as he smiled down at her as well, and then he whispered, "Let's go back to sleep."

She just nodded her head in agreement and held him close.

x x x x

Luffy and Nami sat side by side within the guild library, reading over any book within it that might have a mention of her abilities. Nami even looked over the one she had gotten from Alvida, but none mentioned anything about losing control.

Nami closed the book she was reading with a sigh and rested her head down over it. "This is awful… There's nothing about this. I'm feeling a strange sense of deja vu."

Luffy chuckled at this and said, "Yeah, it's kind of nostalgic."

Nami sighed again and whispered, "What are we doing, Luffy? We should be spending time with your family. It's nearly midday already."

Looking over at her, he smiled and said, "I'm perfectly content right here where I'm at. I want to help you, Nami."

"I know," she whispered, still gazing back at him, unsmiling. "Maybe that was it, you know? I mean, I already saw what happened to them. Not much else I can see. I was just out of it and reacted to the images. They were so violent. I should be okay, right?"

"I don't know, Nami. If you think it won't happen again, we can stop looking if that's what you want," he said, resting his arms over the table and leaning forward to rest as he looked back at her.

She was silent for some time as they gazed into each other's eyes, and then she whispered, "I don't know what to do." She then just shook her head as she closed her eyes and said, "You should really spend time with your family. Maybe we'll get lucky, and nothing even happens, and then we can dedicate our time after the war to figure it all out." She then sighed deeply again with a shake of her head as she whispered, "What perfect timing..."

Luffy took in a deep, silent breath as well as he gazed back at her. He could see she was bothered by it, and he wished he could help. "Maybe we can spend a bit of time with them and then come back and look a little more?"

"Maybe," she whispered, keeping her eyes closed for a little while longer, but then she opened them and sat up. "After all, there is this book about carving out the hearts of people like me, but I have a feeling we won't find anything about this, though."

"Maybe, maybe not, but we should still try, right?" he asked and tilted his head at her.

"Yeah," she muttered as she looked about at the rest of the books they had yet to look through.

"Ah, here you both are. We've been looking for you," Ace called from the doorway. He took a step back and released a shrill whistle as if calling to others.

Luffy turned to look at his brother with curiosity and said, "Yeah, sorry, we were trying to figure out what happened to Nami."

"I'm sorry. I know it's a bad time, and your grandfather said we should spend today with family. We were actually about to come out to do that," Nami said and frowned back at Ace.

"No worries," Ace said with a grin, "I kind of figured you might be here, and Robin even thought so, too. We want to help."

"Help?" Nami asked as she gaped back at him.

"That's right, help."

Nami gasped and shifted her eyes to the old man as he entered into the library with Dragon, Sabo, Law and Koala. Then her and Luffy's friends followed, as well as Usopp, Franky and Brook.

"We figured it's a good way for all of us to spend time together, as well as try and figure out what's happening to you," Garp continued as they all filed into the library.

Nami was shocked. She blinked a few times before being able to take in a breath to speak. "No, you don't have to do this. It might not even happen again, and -"

"Nonsense, we're family, and we want to help. It's got you worried, and quite frankly, it's got me a little worried, too," Garp said as he picked up a book and sat down to look it over.

The others smiled at her as well as they picked up a book to look over. "Of course we want to help," Robin said and smiled at her with her gentle smile.

"Anything for you, Nami-san!" Sanji said with a bright, lovey-dovey smile, which made Luffy grunt.

"There's not much else we could do, anyway," Zoro said with a yawn, and he already had a book open to which he looked through.

"And we definitely don't mind! Anything for friends!" Usopp said as he sat on top of one of the tables with a book over his crossed legs.

"Yohohohoho! Agreed!" Brook said as he waved a book about.

"We're _super_ friends!" Franky exclaimed with a book in each hand as he posed.

"I would like to know, too. I'm curious. I'm always looking to better my abilities to help others," Chopper said as he smiled at her.

"I am curious as well, for the same reason as Tony-ya," Law said as he skimmed the book titles before selecting one.

"And Luffy's our brother, and you're going to be our sister, so damn straight, we're going to help," Sabo said as he rubbed over Luffy's head with a grin, making the other mage laugh and bat his hand away.

"Damned straight," Ace replied as he also chuckled with a grin.

"And he's my son, and you will be my daughter," Dragon replied with a shrug.

"I've known these guys for a really long time!" Koala said as she motioned to the three brothers with a bright smile. "I'd do anything for them, which means, I'd do anything for you!"

Nami's eyes welled with tears as she looked at each and every one of them. The one thing that bothered her most was gnawing at her, and even though she had lost control, they were all still there to help her. "I… I'm so sorry if I hurt any of you! I don't want to lose control like that again! I don't want to hurt any of you!"

"We know that," Ace said and just chuckled at her. "It didn't really hurt. Well, it was a bit… intimidating, but we know you would never hurt us. We'll figure this out. We don't want you to worry or be afraid of hurting us."

"Thank you! I'm sorry!" Nami cried as she gasped and attempted to wipe away the tears.

"Nami," Luffy called in a gentle voice, wanting to soothe her as he turned and wrapped his arms around her. As he held her, he whispered, "It's alright, Nami." He pet over her head to soothe her as she cried within his chest.

After a while, her face flushed with heat, and then she looked up at them as she said, "Now I'm embarrassed… I'm really sorry. I _am_ worried. I really appreciate all of your help."

They all offered her smiles and each called out to her that it was alright all at once, which made her smile and even laugh. She wiped away her tears as she looked up at Luffy and whispered, "Let's keep looking then."

"Yeah," Luffy whispered back with a soft smile as he turned back to the table, grabbing a book for both of them.

There was much laughter and chatter as they all sifted through books to find anything they could to help Nami, and they even all ate lunch together there, but after the last book was closed, that may have any mention of her ability, they could not find anything that could help.

Nami released a deep sigh with her eyes closed for a moment, but then she said, "Thank you all so much for helping. It went so much faster with your assistance, even if we didn't find anything."

"We'll look more into it after the war, I promise," Garp assured her with a gruff grunt.

Luffy glanced down at Nami's necklace, and he wondered if he should mention what he thought to be true about it to the old man. He had to wonder if the old man had any thoughts about it. At the same time, he had never mentioned to the old man about everything that had happened since the old man had given it to Nami. He had a feeling Nami would not want him to mention it, but at the same time, he knew his grandfather would want him to.

He also knew his grandfather would always demand his loyalty, but his loyalty lay with Nami, and it always would. Maybe he should speak to Nami about it while they were alone, and then perhaps they could speak to the old man in private. With that thought in mind, he looked away from her necklace.

Seeing the look on Luffy's face as he gazed back at Nami's necklace, Garp narrowed his eyes, and when everyone else stood up to head to the dinner hall for dinner as they continued to chatter, Garp remained behind and called, "Luffy."

Luffy stopped and so did Nami, and both turned to look at Garp. Everyone else paused as well, but seeing the look on Garp's face, Dragon ushered them all out. Luffy turned with a frown as he watched his father usher the others out, but then he looked back towards his grandfather, feeling his heart begin to race, and then he asked, "Yeah?"

"Is there something you want to say?" Garp asked as he stood up from his chair.

Luffy appeared shocked at first, and so he asked, "What?"

"You've got that look on your face that gives you away. You have something you need to say to me?" Garp said, narrowing his eyes on him.

Luffy swallowed hard as struggled to keep eye contact with his grandfather. "L-Look on my face? S-Say? N-No, of course not."

"You really are the worst liar that was ever born," Garp drawled out with a bit of a growl, and the displeasure on his face caused Luffy to fidget where he stood.

"Luffy?" Nami whispered to him in question and concern.

Luffy looked over at her, and it was clear he was a little pained as he gazed back at her, which made her frown with more worry.

"What is it, boy?" Garp demanded, though he kept his somewhat calm.

Luffy looked back at his grandfather, and then he sighed, knowing there was no way out of this. "I do have a concern…"

"A concern? Other than Nami losing control of herself?" Garp asked with an inquisitive look on his face.

"Yes, other than that, and actually, I think I have a cause," Luffy replied in a mutter as he looked over at Nami.

"A cause?" Garp and Nami asked at the same time.

Luffy lowered his eyes to the pendant, and then he reached out to press his fingers into it. "This…"

Nami looked down at the pendant, but then she looked up at him. "Wait - I mean, it is, but -" she started as she then looked over at Garp, who wore a deep frown.

"The necklace is the cause of her losing control?" he asked as he moved closer to them. "Start from the beginning."

Nami sighed as she closed her eyes and turned her head away from them. Luffy also sighed as his expression softened as he gazed back at her, but then he explained to his grandfather about Nami's visions.

"I'll be damned," Garp whispered in awe as he listened to everything Luffy said. "I would have never thought that it actually belonged to her family…"

Nami clutched at the pendant, wondering what Garp would say about it other than that. Would he take it back from her?

Garp then took in a breath and said, "Well, let's hope it was an isolated incident."

Nami breathed in a sharp breath as she turned to look at Garp. "You're not going to take it away?"

"Of course not," Garp replied with an incredulous look on his face. "I gave it to you to protect you, and after what happened, I believe that it can. Besides, it belongs to you. I don't think it's cursed… exactly… Though, it does seem to be filled with memories, bad ones. I hope that maybe you can fill it with good ones."

Nami closed her eyes again in relief, and then she whispered, "Thank you."

Luffy looked away from her with a look of guilt after her reply to Garp. It was written all over his face that he felt he betrayed her.

Garp nodded to her and said, "Of course. Once this is all over, we'll figure everything out."

Nami smiled at him as she stepped forward to hug him and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Nami," Garp said as he hugged her back.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Ending Author's Note:** D'aww, I liked this chapter too. So sweet. :3 I love these guys, and I love Garp, the big hard shelled, but soft and squishy on the inside that he is! He's like a Tootsie Roll Pop! Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed! :D Until next time!

 **P.S.** I HATE THE WORD PETTED! I REFUSE TO USE IT! I WILL NOT USE IT! This is why I use Pet… So, if you don't like how incorrect that is… TOO BAD! D:


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Okay, so… this is another of my favorite chapters, so I had to post it today, even though I already posted chapter 8. :3 I can do that, because I completed the whole fic already! :D BAHAHAHA! Sorry, I know I keep bringing that up. I'm just so proud of myself. xD Anyways, enjoy! :D

 **Charmed Heart**

 **Chapter 9**

As Luffy and Nami made their way back from dinner in silence, Luffy stared down at the ground as they walked. All throughout dinner, they had conversed with their friends as if nothing at all had happened, and the whole way there, Nami and his grandfather had just talked about the necklace and possibilities, leaving him no chance to speak to her about him having to tell his grandfather about the necklace.

However, seeing as she had not really spoken to him during dinner, he had to wonder if she was mad at him for betraying her. He closed his eyes as he felt a pain within his heart pierce him to his very core. He could not stand it when she was mad at him. He could _never_ stand it, even before. It always hurt so much.

Even so, he was still afraid to speak up now. The last thing he wanted was for her to be angry with him, and for the both of them to be hurting on the eve of a war. He was still a little glad he had spoken up, because it always warmed his heart every time he saw Nami and his grandfather bonding. His grandfather cared a great deal about her, and it just made his heart swell.

When they entered into their room, still in silence, his heart was beginning to drop, and he could not help feeling dread. Without thinking, he removed his robe and threw it across the bed, instead of over the back of the chair. He then plopped down within that chair to remove his boots, all the while, keeping his gaze downcast.

Closing his eyes as he sat there, he decided it was best to talk to her. Taking in a breath, he looked up towards her, but halted in speaking, and he just blinked. Nami was lying over the bed, and she had taken his robe and pulled it over her completely, just as she had done the day she was attacked by all of those men after he had upset her.

His heart wrenched with guilt, and at the same time, it swelled to the brink with love. His eyes teared up a bit as memories flooded his mind. Back then, he had wanted to crawl underneath with her to hold her in his arms in order to comfort her. He remembered the look she had given him from beneath his robe, looking so very beautiful, and he was sure that was the moment he had fallen irreversibly in love with her. He had been willing to do _anything_ for her with just that look.

He would do anything for her now…

Standing up, he went to her on the bed and did exactly as he had wanted to that first time. He lifted up the robe just a little, crawled under it with her, and pulled her into his arms.

"I'm sorry, Nami," he whispered as he buried his face within her soft hair.

She also buried her face within his chest, and to his relief, she wrapped her arms around him as well. "I understand. You really are the worst liar that's ever existed, but it's not your fault. Your grandfather seems to know you more than you know yourself. Has it been bothering you that much?"

"A little," he whispered. "After you explained to me what you saw and the dreams you had, I knew it had to be the necklace. It did have me worried, but I knew you wouldn't want to take it off. Like my gramps said, it _is_ protecting you, and it belongs to your family. I would rather it kept protecting you, but I did wonder if I should tell him. I wanted to speak to you about it first, but he caught me anyway. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she whispered as she gave him a squeeze. "I know you're just worried about me, and thank you, Luffy, for wanting to speak to me first. It was best to tell him, especially after what happened. I was just afraid he would take it away."

"I was too. I was surprised he wanted you to keep it, but I know it's because he wants to keep you safe. It's the whole reason he sought the necklace out for you in the first place," he whispered and smiled as he nuzzled her.

She nodded her head, and they fell into silence once again, but then she whispered, "I'm scared of the war."

Luffy sighed with a nod and whispered, "I know. I'm sorry, Nami. I still wish I could take away your fear."

"You're still doing a good job of it," she said and muttered a bit of a laugh. "I always have felt safe with you, Luffy, even when I thought I didn't like you."

"Even when you _thought_ it?" he asked as his lips curved up into a gradual grin.

A little giggle escaped her, and then she muttered, "I wanted to dislike you so much that I made myself believe it, but really… I didn't dislike you at all. I was just mad, and I think it made me even madder when I started caring for you instead." She nuzzled her nose over his chest and whispered, "You always made me feel safe, Luffy, and after the incident with those men, I was just too stubborn to admit that I needed you. I settled for the next best thing; your robe. I felt so safe under it, like nothing could hurt me or frighten me. I think in the back of my mind I knew, that as long as I had your robe… I had you, too."

His grin was wide and happy and filled with good feelings as well as love. He felt his heart swelling with the intensity of his love for this woman to the point that he was sure it might burst. He remembered feeling horrible when she had given his robe back, in essence, rejecting him, and so hearing what she had really felt at the time was amazing.

"You did have me, Nami, even then. I wanted to always protect you," he whispered as he pulled her in closer.

"I know. I could see it in the way you looked at me, and the way you spoke to me. I think that's what scared me, because I was tempted to let you, but I was supposed to hate you," she replied as she giggled. "It's why I gave the robe back, but I really didn't want to, and I felt so vulnerable without it... without you."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere, and neither is my robe. We're here for you, Nami," he said, and they both laughed together.

In the next moment, Nami leaned in closer and kissed him hard, taking his breath away. Their arms tightened around one another, as if refusing to ever let go. They rolled about beneath the robe, and soon clothes were removed.

There beneath the robe, they made love, possibly for the last time, but they refused to think about that future. Somehow, they would get through the war together.

For that moment, they focused on only each other; touching, kissing and caressing in an attempt to memorize everything about one another. For hours, they loved one another, until they both fell asleep in each other's arms.

x x x x

The next morning, they woke up at dawn and met with the rest of the guild within the dining hall for breakfast before they would all make the journey to head off their enemy.

With the war looming just over their heads, all chatter was silenced, leaving the entire dining hall with a somber feeling, and as soon as everyone was done eating, Garp ordered the guild to gather outside.

As soon as Luffy and Nami stepped outside, Luffy turned and gave a shrill whistle. There was a loud groan, and then Scales soared overhead before landing within the large courtyard.

"Good boy, Scales," Luffy said as he went to rub over his nose. "We need your help, boy."

Scales replied with a soft groan as he nudged Luffy, as if telling him he would do whatever he asked. Luffy grinned, and then he turned to Nami to help her climb up onto the dragon's back. He then turned a grin to his family and friends and asked, "Want a ride?"

"Hell yeah!" Sabo and Ace said at the same time as they rushed forward.

"This will be awesome," Zoro said as he and the others also stepped forward to climb on top of the large dragon.

"Ah, I think… maybe… I will r-remain… on the – safe – ground…" Usopp said, but Franky lifted him up by his cape.

"Don't be ridiculous, Usopp! Ride with your friends!" he said with a grin as he threw him up.

"Eeee!" Usopp shrieked as he flew through the air and Brook caught him from where he was atop the dragon.

"Yohohohohoho! Good of you to join us, Usopp-san!" Brook said as he sat Usopp down.

"Old man, dad, you guys comin'?" Luffy asked with a grin.

"No, I must remain down here with the others. I will ride on Strawhat instead," Garp replied as he looked back at Luffy.

"I will remain down here, as well. I'm sure Sunny won't mind allowing me to ride him," Dragon said as he smiled to his son.

"Yeah, okay!" Luffy said as he climbed up onto Scales after the others, and then Scales lifted up into the air.

From that height, they could see many of the other occupants of the great city Mariejoie gathering to see the great and powerful guild off on their journey as well as to show their respect as well as support.

"Wow," Luffy whispered as he gazed down at them as Scales circled about.

"So many came," Nami whispered to him from where he sat behind her with his arms around her.

"Yeah," he whispered, and then he smiled into a slow grin. "I think it's great!"

"I think so too," Nami agreed with her own smile.

As they finally made it out of the city, Nami gazed over the trees and fields of green, speckled here and there with bits of color from plants and flowers, and then she smiled. "It really is beautiful from up here," she called over the loud wind after a while to the others riding with them.

"Yeah, this is amazing," Sabo said as he looked down below them, and then he gazed back at the large group of their guild members and other mages, who decided to join the fight with them, traveling over the ground on magic animals and items to get where they were going as quickly as possible.

"Never would have thought I would ever fly on the back of a dragon. This is fucking awesome!" Ace said with a grin as he looked all around him as well. "This is definitely the way to ride into battle!"

"Totally the way to travel," Zoro said from where he rested his head on Robin's lap, just enjoying the breezy flight.

"Agreed, and the view is enlightening," Robin whispered as she pet over Zoro's head.

"It is amazing from up here. So much green," Sanji said as he gazed down.

"It's peaceful, somehow. No other sound beside the wind… and well, you guys, of course and Brook," Law said with a chuckle from where he relaxed as well.

"It is peaceful. This is great," Chopper said with a bright smile as he looked over the side.

" W-W-What're you all talking about!? This is terrifying!" Usopp exclaimed as he clung to Franky, who just laughed at him.

"It's _super_! And this dragon is _super_ too!"

"Yohohoho! I agree! This dragon is wonderful~!" Brook said as he continued to play his violin in quiet tune.

"Scales is the best~!" Luffy exclaimed as he pat Scales on the back, and the dragon groaned back a happy groan to let Luffy and the others know he appreciated the praise.

"Scales _is_ the best," Nami said with a chuckle, also petting over the dragon, and Scales replied with an even happier groan to her praise. Apparently, she was forgiven for no longer being a virgin.

Silence fell upon them as they took in the sights all around them and listened to Brook play, each with their mind on the war. With Nami leaning back against Luffy, she felt comfortable and comforted at the same time from the contact. All she could think about was that this was possibly the last two days they would spend time together this close.

After a while, she said, "So, once we arrive there, we'll have a day of resting before the war."

"Yup, we'll get plenty of rest before then, so no worries," Luffy said as he gave her a squeeze.

"It's not the rest I'm worried about," she muttered to herself, making him look down at her in question.

"You've got nothing to worry about, Nami. We're all really strong. This war will be easy. We're all used to battle. After all, it's what we do," Ace said, as if sensing her thoughts.

"And you're really strong too. You'll be just fine, especially with our brother at your side," Sabo said as he chuckled and reached around Ace to pat Luffy's back.

"Shishishi, that's right, Nami. I won't let anything happen to you or me. We'll win this war," Luffy said and kissed her temple.

"And we're all here too," Zoro added.

"Definitely here for you, Nami-san~!" Sanji said as well with a bright, lovey smile.

She hummed as her head was pushed to the side a bit from Luffy's kiss. "Yeah, I know, but I just can't help, but to worry about everything. I didn't have any dreams last night either, so I guess that's a good thing. I just hope nothing triggers whatever it was that happened to me," she said, ending it with a sigh.

"Well, even if something does happen, I'll protect you like I did before. I'll help you to stop, Nami," Luffy said to her as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"You're right. You were able to stop me. Everything will be fine," she said, nodding to herself as if doing so would make it so. "Okay, but I'm also worried about Alvida."

"That's what the necklace is for," Luffy said, lifting it up into his hand for both to look at it.

"Well, yeah, it protects me against her… but not you or the others. You'll all be vulnerable to her," she said and huffed out in some annoyance of the other woman.

"Don't you worry about us. We're not about to let that bitch control us. Our hearts are strong. She only took control of Luffy at the time, because the two of you were in turmoil. That's not the case this time. The others have also been instructed about this. She's got nothing," Zoro said, trying his best to ease her worries as well.

Nami shook her head and said, "You'll all be fine at the start of the war, but once people start to get hurt, the turmoil will begin. She'll be counting on it. I'll do my best to counter her. I can do this."

"We have faith in you, Nami," Ace said with a chuckle, and everyone else agreed.

Nami smiled them, especially when Scales gave a groan in response, as if to say he would try his best for her as well. She pet over the dragon and said, "Thanks, you guys."

"Of course!"

"You can count on us!"

"We'd do anything for you, Nami-san~!"

"We're friends, right?" 

"Friends, indeed."

"We'll be there for you, Nami," Luffy said, giving her another squeeze as he smiled a soft smile to her.

Nami hugged his arms, but then she turned to give him a full hug. She also held up her hand, and Ace took it with a grin.

"Your brothers and friends will protect you, Nami," Ace said with a smile, giving her hand a squeeze.

"Damned straight!" Sabo agreed with his own grin as he grasped their hands as well. Everyone else chimed in as well.

Luffy snickered with a grin as well as he wrapped his arms around her. He felt very happy at that moment, as did Nami, whose lips curved into a bright smile.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Ending Author's Note:** It is _really_ hard playing a whole bunch of people, and at first I actually wrote it with just Ace and Sabo, because it was easier, but I knew I had to include all the Strawhats, and so I did! IT WAS HARD, DAMN IT! D: So, you better appreciate it! D: HUFF HUFF HUFF! Nah, I did it because I really did want to have them all. :) The Strawhats gotta all be there! Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter! :D


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** Eeeee~! A reader recognized Scales' description! XD Yes, his description is the same as Toothless from How To Train Your Dragon! XD My daughter _loves_ Toothless! She has a Toothless piggybank a friend from school gave to her, and she has a little plushy of him. I, myself, love him too. xD Of course, Scales is MUCH bigger than Toothless. XD The same reader said they figured he was bigger, and they asked if I can link a pic, but FFnet isn't a fan of links. Just know that he's big enough to carry about, what? – 12 people? All the SHs plus Ace, Law and Sabo? XD Anyways, big, but he has black scales and green eyes. xD Like Toothless! I think much scarier and awesome looking. Just a typical dragon, really. :P Also, Big Teeth was kind of the opposite name of Toothless, was supposed to be a vague reference, lol! xD Anyways, hope you guys enjoy this chapter! :D

 **Charmed Heart**

 **Chapter 10**

As they neared a good place to camp, Luffy spied a pack of wild boars, and so he instructed Scales to get them for the guild's dinner that evening. That evening they feasted and celebrated one last time before the war the in two days' time. There was laughter, music and even dancing as the boars roasted over several fire pits.

Nami smiled from where she sat on a log as she looked towards Luffy with his brothers, and she enjoyed listening to the music Brook played as well as some other members of the guild. It was a picturesque moment, and it was hard to believe they would go to war soon. She watched as Luffy grinned at his brothers and then turned to head over towards her, which made her smile wider.

He offered her a softer smile as he approached and said, "Nami, want to dance with me?" He held his hand out to her, and his smile brightened.

Smiling at him with all the love she felt for him, she nodded her head and placed her hand within his. "I would love to," she said as she stood up with his help.

He then led her off closer to the music where others were dancing and took her into step in a dance. Laughter bubbled out of her as they spun around together with their bodies pressed close together and sharing the warmth.

Garp watched on and grinned at them as they circled about the other dancers, his chest swelling with pride for how happy his grandson was. He then looked about to the other guild members, and he felt even more pride. His guild was larger with some of the most powerful members, and he was proud of each and every one of them. The war was going to be a success. He was sure of it.

All seemed fine, that was until someone stumbled into the camp and collapsed, but then he pushed himself back up to stumble deeper in before collapsing again. They could see by the light of the fires that the person was severely injured with his clothes covered in blood.

"Bon clay!" Luffy cried as he rushed towards the man and dropped to his knees beside him.

"Bentham!" Garp exclaimed as he also went to the man and Luffy. "What happened!?"

Ace rushed forward with some water, and Chopper began healing his wounds and patching him up. After Bon Clay drank the water Ace brought to him, he said between pants, "The scouts… have all been captured… I barely got away… They're a lot closer than was originally reported… Didn't want word to get back to you… They're a mere six hours away."

"What?" Garp growled as he began to scowl. "Those sons of bitches!" He then furrowed his brows into a deep frown as he looked up towards the other shocked members. "We eat and then we get as much sleep as possible! I also want a few scouts on lookout to sound the alarm, just in case they try and sneak up on us! War is closer upon us!"

There was an uproarious reply, and then the members obeyed their guild master as they ate and got ready to bunker down.

Garp turned back towards Bon Clay and said, "You did good, Bentham. Have something to eat and rest."

Bon Clay chuckled with a grin, giving the old man a thumbs up. Garp smiled and then turned to head off to eat and rest himself.

"I'm glad you're okay, Bon Clay. Come on, let's sit you down and get you some food," Luffy said as he helped the man up, and Chopper followed to finish patching him up, and Luffy prepared a plate of food for him.

"Thanks, Luffy," Bon Clay said with a grin as he accepted the plate to eat from. "I'm just glad I made it back! You all might have been caught unaware!" He then grinned down at Chopper and said, "Thanks, Chopper!"

"You're welcome. That ought to do it. Just get some rest," Chopper said and smiled up at him.

"Oh, Bon Clay! There's someone I want you to meet!" Luffy said as he turned and held his hand out to Nami.

Nami smiled as she went to Luffy and took his hand, and then she offered Bon Clay her smile. Bon Clay blinked at this, but then he grinned in understanding. "Oooh, a pretty woman!"

"Bon Clay, meet Nami; my fiancé. Nami, this is Bon Clay," Luffy said, smiling with love at Nami.

Bon Clay seemed surprised by this. "Fiancé!?" he exclaimed, having just expected the two were maybe dating.

"Yeah, that's the reaction I had, too!" Sabo said and laughed. "They have quite the fascinating story! You gotta hear it sometime."

Nami just chuckled and said, "It's nice to meet you, Bon Clay."

"I'd love to hear it sometime! It's a pleasure, Nami-chan!" Bon Clay said, bringing his grin back.

"I guess we should rest. Big day tomorrow," Ace said and yawned.

"Yeah, I suppose we should," Luffy said, glancing to Nami, who nodded in agreement. He then held his hand out to her and whispered, "Come on."

She took his hand, but then turned to smile at Bon Clay and said, "It was really nice to meet you, Bon Clay. I hope we can speak more later, after this war."

"It would be my pleasure, Nami-chan!" Bon Clay said as he waved them off.

"Night, Bon Clay!" Luffy called as he and Nami moved off to their tent.

"Goodnight, to the both of you!"

Luffy snickered as he opened up the flap for Nami to go in first, and then he followed after her. Nami gave a heaving sigh as she began to undress for the night, but then she grunted and fell onto their slight bedding without changing into her nightwear.

Luffy blinked at this as he pulled off his pants, but then he just smiled at her and went to lie down beside her, pulling her nude form into his arms. "It's going to be okay, Nami. We'll make sure of it, right?"

"Yeah," she muttered against him as she wrapped her arms tight around him. "I know it'll be okay, but I still worry. I can't help it," she continued, but then she took in his scent and whispered, "I love you, Luffy."

Luffy gazed down at her for a while, caressing over her head, and so she looked up at him. He smiled down at her, and then he whispered, "I love you too, Nami." He then leaned down to kiss her, which she reciprocated right away, even leaning in part of the way to kiss him too.

As she kissed him with all the love she had for him, and perhaps a bit of desperation, she turned her body to push him down onto his back and climbed over him to lay over him. She then sat up to straddle him, and gazed down at him, as if trying to memorize everything about him. Her hands slid up his torso to his shoulders, just allowing her senses to feel his soft flesh and hard body.

"Nami," he whispered up to her, and his husky call caressed her flesh, causing her to shudder.

Leaning down again and keeping her eyes on him, she began to place lingering kisses over his chest and up to his neck. She could feel the vibration of his moan through her lips, which made her smile. Beneath her, she could feel as his arousal grew.

A slow smile spread over her lips as she made it to his lips, giving him a solitaire kiss, and then she lay over him and said, "Okay, goodnight!"

She felt as his chest rumbled with devious chuckles to her antics, and the smile spread into a grin as she also released devious giggles to her play, and then she sat up over him, but also lifted her hips for him to slide into position. She then lowered herself over him, feeling as he slipped inside of her and moaned as she began to rock her hips.

She shuddered as his hands touched over her body and caressed her as she moved over him. She moved slow at first, but then began to pick up her speed a bit. As they moved together for some time, she reveled at the quickness of his breath, knowing how good she made him feel.

She tried her best to keep herself from crying out, and so she moaned and whimpered within her throat, but as she moved quicker, she wanted to let it out. As if sensing this and knowing she was trying not to make much sound, Luffy slid a hand up her body to her mouth and slipped two fingers within. She whimpered, accepting both willingly to suckle and grateful for the distraction as well as assistance. Her cheeks flushed from this as well as from the heat she felt as both glistened with a bit of sweat from the coupling.

When her end finally neared, the whimpers flowed from her, and she had to keep herself from biting into his fingers… too hard. Soon her body quaked and spasmed with her release, and it seemed he joined right after as he thrust up deep within her and held there for a time before dropping back down.

She also dropped down to lay over him as both breathed deep, and she had not felt such peace and serenity as she ever had in that moment. All she knew was that she could not lose this man, and she would fight with everything she had to keep him safe. This was exactly as she intended to do during the battle to come.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Ending Author's Notes:** D'aww, so sweet! And I just realized this is probably the lemoniest fic I have ever done. Could make lemonade out of it… I do apologize… Okay, not really… Sorry, not sorry! XD I swear this is the last one! XD I think, considering the type of story this is with the war and possibility of death, it just fits for them to want to spend as much time together. So, bear with me. :) Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter! :D


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** This is another chapter I really love, as well as the one after this. :3 So, I hope you guys enjoy! :D

 **Charmed Heart**

 **Chapter 11**

" _Nami_! _Nami_ , _stop_!"

Dark clouds swirled overhead as strong winds whipped about, tearing trees apart, and angry lightning struck all across the ground, setting fire to the grassy field and forest beyond, which the strong winds fueled and spread. Voices could be heard all around, crying out in pain; both friend and foe, but only one voice could be heard clear. Only one voice called out among the many with words reaching out.

" _Nami, please stop! Listen to me!"_

x x x x

Nami sat crying within the corner of the burning estate with her knees drawn to her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs and her face buried within her raised knees. She was so scared, and they were all dead; their bodies lay before her and blood surrounded her.

" _Please, stop! Please, Nami, before they die!"_

She could hear the voice calling to her, but she had no idea what to do or how to stop the death. She could not stop it. They were all going to die, no matter what she did.

It was too late… They were already dead, and she could not save them. She would never be able to save them.

She would never be able to save him...

" _Please_ , _hear me_. _Please_ , _my love_."

She gasped, and her eyes flew open, both glowing their brilliant blue.

x x x x

"The enemy is here!"

Luffy and Nami both woke with gasps to the warning calls that their enemy had arrived. Luffy scrambled up to dress in his robe, and Nami dressed in her tight leather before both rushed out of their tent.

"Sons of bitches!" Garp growled as he stormed through the camp and cried, "Mages of Devil's Fist, prepare yourselves for war and come to me!"

There was an uproarious cry from the many mages as the gathered around in preparation.

"Come on, Nami," Luffy said as he took Nami's hand and pushed through to where his grandfather was.

Garp looked right at them, and nodded in satisfaction as he then searched for Dragon, Ace and even Sabo who all pushed through to him. He nodded again and said, "To war!"

There was another cry as they all moved away from the camp towards where they would meet up with their enemy. Scales screeched as he flew overhead towards their enemy, and already he began to blow fire at them as well as grabbing them to toss them away.

Everything happened so fast, and before they could reach the fields, they were attacked. The chaos started as well as the cries of pain as the magic began to tear through them.

Nami froze up as the fear overwhelmed her, and her hand within Luffy's tightened. He gave her hand a squeeze, but then he cried, "Come on, Nami! Let's go!"

He then shot forward, and she gasped as his hand was pulled from hers. She reached out towards his back as he ran right into that terrifying chaos, but still she was frozen.

No, she had to do this. She had to help him; protect him. She had to make sure he survived; that they both survived. She took off after him, and it was strange to her, but all she could hear was the pounding of her heart within her ears. She could not hear the sounds of battle, the magic being casted or the sounds of pain and death.

She casted her own magic, fighting through her and Luffy's enemies by his side. She did not even have the time to worry about where Arlong might be or even Alvida, but the thought of knowing they were there somewhere nagged at her.

When another mage she did not know, one with blonde hair and strange ears, began casting lightening magic as well, she used her own lightening magic to counter him, and Luffy used his rubber magic to attack him. When Crocodile showed up, all she had to do was make it rain, and he was rendered useless.

"Ace!"

Nami gasped and turned to look at Luffy beside her, only he was already gone within the chaos. "Luffy!" she cried as she looked about, unsure of where he went, but then she caught a glimpse of his red through the many fighting bodies of mages.

She took off in his direction, and then she could now see Ace lying on the ground with Luffy beside him. She heard Ace's name being called again, and Sabo made it through the crowd to them.

Nami came up behind Luffy as he and Sabo were trying to help Ace up to his feet, and she was relieved to see he was alive. When she heard the all familiar laughter, she looked over with the others there.

"Zehahahaha!"

"Teach, you son of a bitch!" Luffy growled in anger as he and Sabo stood at Ace's sides.

Ace panted heavily, looking to be in pain, but he stood up straight, ready to continue the fight. "Let's show this son of a bitch what the three of us can do," Ace said with a chuckle and a smirk.

Luffy and Sabo smirked as well, and then the three of them ignited with flames, and Nami could only stand back and watch these powerful mages in awe. She took steps back, but then she took in a deep breath. She would do her best to help them.

They then went after Teach, attacking him from all sides, and Teach used his dark magic to counter them. After a while, he expelled the three away from him, sending them flying in all directions. All three got back up again to face him down, but then Teach began to laugh, making them glare at him.

"Zehahaha! You know I didn't come alone! I brought some friends!" Teach said and looked from side to side.

Just then, a few mages emerged from the crowd; Moriah, Doflamingo, even Crocodile and Enel whom they had fought earlier, Arlong and Alvida. However, there were others as well, many others.

Nami gasped and took more steps back at seeing Arlong and Alvida again, and her heart pounded in fear. They were outnumbered by powerful mages; two of which Luffy and Nami had not been able to defeat.

Luffy ground his teeth, looking to each all too familiar face and as if knowing a hard battle awaited them. He then whispered to Ace and Sabo, "We're outnumbered, and we need to be careful. More than one of them can control us, and another can curse us, like how he did me."

"Right," Ace whispered as he looked to each face as well. "Well, I can take Teach and that scar faced guy."

"I'll take Doflamingo and maybe that weird blonde guy with the ears. That leaves the rest," Sabo whispered as he shook his head.

"All the blonde people?" Ace asked, a tad amused as he looked over at Sabo.

"No, I'll take Doflamingo," Law said as he approached them, looking as if he had just come from a battle. "He is definitely mine…"

"Well, that certainly helps, but we're still outnumbered. Nice of you to finally show, Law," Sabo said with a smirk. "I can take Moriah then and the weird guy with the ears. And now we just need…"

"More players on the field? That's what friends are for, right?" Zoro said as he, Robin, Chopper, Usopp, Brook, Franky Sanji, Koala and Bon Clay approached them.

"Didn't think we'd let you deal with these shitheads alone, did you?" Sanji said as he lit up a cigarette.

"Awesome, and now this evens things up a bit! Luffy, think you and Nami can take Arlong and Alvida?" Sabo said as he rubbed his hands together with a smirk.

"Yeah, we'll be fine," Luffy said with a slow nod and a smirk as he shifted his eyes to Arlong and Alvida, who happened to be standing side by side.

"We'll be fine," Nami agreed as she glared Alvida and Arlong down.

"Oooh, how I've missed you, Luffy. I can't wait to feel your power again. Aren't you happy to see me, too?" Alvida said and chuckled deep within her throat. "I see you're still with that bitch who treated you like shit."

"Oh, fuck you, Alvida. As if you should be talking with how you tried to take control of him. I will never let you do that to him ever again. Besides, he isn't vulnerable this time around, so you couldn't control him, even if you wanted to," Nami said as she scowled back at the woman.

"Not yet, anyway. We are at war after all… People die in wars," Alvida said with a smirk, making Nami's eye twitch. She was right, after all.

"Shut up, Alvida!" Luffy growled at the woman as he scowled as well.

Arlong chuckled and said, "Well, well… I never would have thought you were a mage, little Nami."

" _Don't_ … call me that," Nami spat with vehemence as she scowled darker at Arlong.

"So, should we get started with this shit, or are we gonna keep talking?" Ace said, and then he shot forward to attack Teach and shot fire at Crocodile, separating them from the group.

Sabo also took off after Moriah and Enel as Law went after Doflamingo, and everyone else also attacked the other enemies there, leaving Luffy and Nami with Arlong and Alvida.

"Are you ready, Nami?" Luffy whispered to her as he kept his eyes on Arlong and Alvida.

"Yes," Nami replied back in the same quiet whisper as she nodded. "I'll deal with Alvida."

"Alright," he replied, and then he took off after Arlong, who was ready for him.

"Well, then I guess that leave us, doesn't it?" Alvida said with a smirk as she approached Nami with a calm that aggravated her.

"Don't think you can control me either, Alvida. I won't let you control anyone, and I'll certainly never let you take my heart," Nami said as she began circling around her, and Alvida did the same.

Alvida cackled her amusement to her words and said, "Oh, I won't fail this time. Your heart will be mine. I will be the most powerful mage ever to exist and all others will be at my mercy!"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember all that stupid shit from the last time you spouted it!" Nami exclaimed as she brought up her fingers, muttered a quick incantation and drew it down over Alvida, who dodged before the lightning could strike.

The longer they fought, the more irritated Alvida seemed to become. Nami had to huff with a slight smirk, figuring Alvida must now realize she was not the same mage she fought before. She was no longer weak. She could do this. She could defeat Alvida once again and put her back into prison where she belonged. She had faith that the others would also defeat their enemies, and they would end this war.

However, she spoke too soon, as she again heard someone cry out Ace's name, and this only told Nami one thing.

Ace was not winning his fight…

"Ace!" Luffy cried as he kicked Arlong away and ran over to where his brother lay over the ground. "Ace! Come on, Ace! You gotta get up!"

"Fuck," Ace growled as he coughed up blood when he attempted to get up, only to collapse again. "S-Sorry, Luffy… I'm sorry…" he whispered as he grasped a hold of Luffy, but then he lost consciousness as his hold on Luffy loosened.

"Ace! Ace, no!" Luffy cried as tears came to his eyes, and he reached out to press his fingers to Ace's neck, but he could not feel anything. "Ace!"

"Luffy!" Nami cried as she ran over to him, and already, she could feel the pain in his heart. "No, Luffy! You can't!" she screamed as tears came to her eyes as well.

Alvida smirked to this as she reached out a hand towards Luffy and began to sing. Nami gasped as she slid to a stop and turned to look back at her with huge eyes.

"No!" she screamed and turned back to Luffy. "Luffy, don't listen to her!"

Luffy rose up to his feet, and already Nami felt the dread to how slow he did this. Once he stood up, he turned just as slow with his eyes glowing blue.

Nami's shoulders fell as her tears began to fall, feeling as if somehow, she had failed him. No, she had failed him.

"No, Luffy…"

Alvida raised her arm and pointed toward Nami as she demanded, "Get rid of her!"

Luffy turned his head to look at Nami and took steps towards her. Nami shook her head as her tears fell, and she whispered as she took steps back, "No, Luffy, don't listen to her." She then took in a breath and began to sing a well.

Luffy frowned as he gave his head a slight shake to the conflict within. He then reached up, clutching at his pained heart as he looked between them.

"Don't you dare listen to her! I am far more powerful than that little bitch! Destroy her and bring me her heart!" Alvida screeched at him.

"Damn it, Luffy! You're stronger than this!" Sabo cried, though he knew the Charmed Heart was no laughing matter.

Alvida smirked, turning to Sabo as well as she began to sing, and soon he too began to lose his will. Nami shook her head as she looked about as other mages around them began to succumb to her as well, and then she screamed, " _No_ , _don't_!"

"Zehahaha! Hurry it up, Alvida! We have a war to win!" Teach yelled as he used his dark magic to attack the others standing around who were not controlled by Alvida.

"I'm going as fast as I can, you son of a bitch!" Alvida screeched as she looked back at Luffy and the others there. "I said bring me her heart!"

"No! Leave them alone!" Nami screamed as she also ran after her to stop her, but she was knocked away by Teach as well. She grunted when she hit the ground and wheezed from the air being knocked out of her.

She tried to push herself up, and that was when the noises finally reached her ears. She looked about at the destruction and flames from magic and from Scales. She could see blood covering the once green grass.

Desperate to take in a breath, she breathed in, taking in deep breaths as she turned her body to look over towards Ace, who was still unconscious over the ground, and she was not even sure if he was alive. Everyone who was not being controlled by Alvida were trying their best to fight, but it was not looking good.

Nami then looked over to where Luffy was. He, as well as the others being controlled, were making their slow and threatening approach towards her. She could only watch as Luffy threw back his fist, she knew, to attack her.

Nami felt her breaths coming quicker, involuntary as she began to hyperventilate. Her heart and head pounded with fear, feeling desperate to protect her family… to protect him...

She gasped as a coldness began to engulf her, and soon, everything went dark. When her eyes opened again, they were the haunting blue glow, and she began to rise from the ground as her arms rose from her sides.

 _"_ _I will never let you have him_ _!"_

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Ending Author's Note:** Ruh roh! Somebodeh's in twubbo! Hahaha! XD I hope this was a sufficient enough battle for you guys. XD Just enough detail to describe a war, but not too much for it to become overwhelming. xD I almost copped out and tried to somehow bypass the war, but I knew I couldn't do that. It was another reason I was stuck. For one, I just wasn't sure what to do or how to do it, and then second, I was intimidated by the chaos that was war, as well as all the characters on the field. I tried. xD Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it! Only 2 more chapters left! Until next time! :D


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:** Second to the last chapter, here we come! XD I do love this chapter too. ;P So, I hope you guys enjoy it too! :D

 **Charmed Heart**

 **Chapter 12**

Strong winds began to kick up and dark clouds formed above, which swirled in anger as a storm began to rage. Soon after, lightning bolts began to strike at random, unbiased to whom it struck.

Alvida gasped as she stumbled back away from the tumultuous storm as well as the woman who caused its rage. Becoming distracted by this, her hold on Luffy and the others fell, and Luffy gasped as he stumbled forward onto his hands and knees.

Anyone close to Nami began to run away in fear, as if sensing the power radiating from her. They also attempted to take cover from the lightning, but in the next instance, every one of them collapsed to the ground, as if gravity itself held them prisoner, and even Scales was forced to the ground from the strange power.

"What the hell is this!?" Alvida screeched as she was forced to the ground, and no matter how much she struggled, she could not break free. She lifted her terrified eyes to Nami, understanding in that moment that she, as well as everyone else, were at her mercy. She then began to scream as the pain hit her within her heart, an excruciating pain.

"What is going on!?" Teach growled as he tried to fight the force holding him, but slammed back down to the ground, and then he cried out with pain as well.

Screams and cries of pain began to fill the area, to which Luffy became aware of. He lifted his head as he wheezed from the pain he was feeling within his heart, the same pain he knew the others could feel as well, and his eyes widened to seeing Nami. He looked about, hearing the cries and knowing they could not move. He stumbled to his feet, tripping up a bit and attempting to make his way towards her through the strong winds. He brought up his arms to block his face as best he could as he took each difficult step one at a time.

"Nami! Nami, stop!" he cried, struggling even more against the impenetrable winds.

" _Luffy_!"

Luffy could hear his grandfather calling to him, and he knew what he was trying to tell him. Already the lightening was beginning to start even more fires than there were before, and if he did not hurry, a lot of people were going to burn to death.

The closer he got to her, the stronger the winds became. "Nami, please stop! Listen to me!" he screamed over the roaring winds, but still, she could not hear him. He had to reach her! "Please, stop! Please, Nami, before they die!"

He was growing weaker, and each step was becoming slower, but he could not give up. Too many lives as well as Nami's depended on him. He began to growl deep in his throat, which he soon released into a cry as he used his full strength to take each step through the tornado like winds.

Reaching out towards her, he pushed his hardest to finally grasp hold of her ankle. With whatever strength he had left, he began pulling her down towards him, grasping hold of her hand with his free one and pulling her down more to grasp hold of her cheek. He blinked his eyes, and upon opening them again, they were glowing their brilliant blue. "Please, hear me. Please, my love," he whispered in desperation and closed his eyes.

In the next instant, he gasped as he opened his eyes, and no longer was he on the battlefield. There was another fight going on, and he seemed to be fighting a woman whose face he could not see. He was using magic he was sure he had no knowledge of, and his body just seemed to move on its own. When he looked over, he could see Nami fighting the woman as well, also using magic he had never before seen her use.

Nami then began to sing, but the song was not the same song she normally sang. It was warm and comforting, much like hers, but it still felt strange to him. He felt that burning need to protect her, and at the same time, he felt himself fighting against something deep within him. He realized then, this woman they were fighting was just like Nami. She had the Charmed Heart.

He looked about, and he could see other mages under this woman's control, and this, too, was who they fought against. He felt as if he knew some of them. There was someone else he also felt the need to protect. Someone who could not protect themselves just yet. A daughter?

" _Please…"_

Luffy felt himself gasp, only the body he seemed to be occupying did not falter. Whose voice was he hearing? Who was he?

"Use me!"

Luffy blinked to the words he spoke, and he was sure it was not his voice, but the voice which continued to plead with him. He was looking over at Nami, who was looking over at him. She appeared skeptical, but she held her hands out to him, and somehow, without her even touching him, together, they took out all the mages as well as the woman, but at a great cost.

He felt himself collapsing, and upon closer examination of himself, he was severely injured and bleeding inside and out. He could see Nami gazing back at him in horror, but within a split second, her face seemed to falter, appearing as someone else's, though her hair was still orange. He took in a breath, and in a weak whisper, he said, "I'm sorry, my love. I needed to protect you… protect you both… but I'll always be with you… always… forever..."

The last words which echoed was the voice of his daughter, _"Mama! Papa!"_

" _Please…"_

Everything faded to black, and when he again could see, he was no longer lying on the ground, nor was he on the battlefield. Instead, he was standing on a stone road, and all around him, buildings and houses burned. The heat of it was intense, and already, he broke out into a sweat. He looked about him, turning in a circle and feeling confusion. He had no idea what was happening to him, but he seemed in control again, and there was something he knew he had to do. He had to find Nami.

"Nami!" he screamed into the chaos, ignoring the screams of pain, as he was sure, of many people burning to death. He cringed as he took off running to try and find Nami. "Nami, please! Where are you!?"

He looked at each house, but they were too far gone as flames engulfed them. He began to cough as it became harder to breathe through all of the smoke and ash. Wherever he was, it felt so real, and the sounds were horrific.

"Damn it! Damn it!" he cried as he turned in another circle. How was he supposed to find her in all of this chaos?

He stopped then, taking in harsh breaths, but then he forced himself to calm, taking deeper breaths as he closed his eyes again. He had to find her; he had to reach her.

" _There…"_

His eyes shot open, and he turned in a specific direction. Up on a hill was an estate, and he blinked, seeing as all the fire and destruction seemed to vanish right before his eyes. He looked about, and everything was back to normal as people bustled about. Taking in a sharp breath, he took off running down the street towards the estate. He had to get to her and save her.

When he reached the estate, he rushed inside, and gasped as he phased through the front door, but then he froze, glancing over the estate. Somehow, he knew this must be Nami's home, and without thought, he headed straight for where he somehow knew where the dining room was.

He could hear voices within, and again he phased right through the closed doors. Inside was a large family, enjoying a dinner together. They seemed to be celebrating. It was strange, but each of their heads were blurred.

However, his eyes focused on an older woman, who was wearing the same pendant as Nami. This was her grandmother, and this was the same thing Nami had seen before she had lost control back at the guild.

When he heard the baby cry, his head turned to see the bassinet. Not being able to help himself, he made his way over and looked in at the tiny baby with a bit of orange hair as she cried. He could not help the smile which formed as he gazed down at the baby who he knew was Nami. He heard a man speak up, though he could not hear his words clearly, and so he turned, watching as a man spoke and stood to go to the bassinet, lifting the baby girl within his arms. This man was her father.

He heard another voice, and the older woman came over. Right after her, another younger woman approached. This had to be her mother. However, in that moment was when the cries as well as the bell tolls started, and he glanced outside through the window. The fire and destruction he had seen upon first arriving there had returned.

He turned back to the family, and he watched as the old woman nearly tore off the pendant, and she was facing baby Nami. She was reaching out, as if to give the necklace to her, but in that next moment, the doors behind him exploded, throwing the doors as well as a force of energy into the room. Out of instinct, Luffy covered his head with his arms and ducked away from the doors. When he looked back towards the family, he saw as the grandmother lost her grip on the pendant from the force, and the shiny necklace went flying.

When he turned back to Nami's father holding baby Nami, he saw that the baby was just gone. The family fought back with magic, but he could see their attackers were much stronger, and he could only watch in horror as the whole family was slaughtered.

" _No!"_

Luffy gasped and grabbed his head to the voice within his mind, the same voice that told him where to go. When it was all over, the attackers ransacked the house, and one of them found the pendant. Once they stole anything they could, they were gone, setting fire to the estate as they went.

Luffy looked back towards the family lying dead, and he nearly gagged, bringing up a hand to block the action, feeling a deep pain within his heart. Hearing a sound somewhere within, which sounded like crying, his head snapped over to one of the corners, seeing Nami curled up within it. "Nami!" he cried and rushed over to her.

Nami gasped as her head shot up, and new tears formed to the sight of him there. "Luffy!" she cried, holding her arms out to him.

"Nami, it's okay. It's okay now," he whispered, dropping to his knees and scooping her up into his arms. However, he was just as shaken as she seemed to be.

"Luffy!" she cried again, wrapping her arms tight around him. "They're dead! They're all dead! I had to watch them die! I couldn't save them!"

"I know. I had to watch too. I'm so sorry, Nami. I'm so sorry!" he whispered into her neck as he held her tight. "We have to go, Nami. We have to get out of here. It's not safe."

"I can't leave them!" she cried as she sobbed against him.

"Nami," he called to her as calm as he could muster, considering the circumstance. He pulled back to cup her cheeks and force her to look at him. "Nami, you have to listen to me. None of this is real. This is all in your heart. You have to let it go, or it'll consume you. If you don't stop, the others are going to die. Please, Nami, I'm begging you. Please, stop."

"You don't understand! I can't stop it! It just keeps replaying over and over again! I have to watch them die over and over again!" she cried between gasps as she sobbed.

"Nami, please, listen to me. I need you to calm down. Understand that this is all in your heart. You feel this pain, and this is why it has you trapped. You _have_ to let it go," Luffy whispered to her as he used his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

She began to shake her head, and then she said, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I don't know how! I don't know how to let go! And even if I did, the war would just continue! Alvida, she took control of you, and I couldn't stop it!"

Luffy released a harsh breath as he deflated. What was he supposed to do now? What were they supposed to do?

" _Feel their hearts…"_

Luffy's brows began to furrow, and then he looked up at her. "Can you feel them, Nami? Can you feel their hearts? I know you can. Please, will you try?"

With a sniffle, she forced a calm to come over her as she focused, but then she frowned and then nodded. "Yes, yes I can feel them. No! They're all in pain, and it's my fault!" she cried as sobs began to wrench through her.

"Nami, listen to me! Focus on each of their hearts! Differentiate between them! We're going to stop our enemies… together!" he said, drying more of her tears as he smiled at her.

"Together?" she questioned in confusion.

"Yes, together. Use me! Use me as a conduit and target our enemies. We'll stop them once and for all! Together, Nami!" he cried as he offered her a bright grin.

She began to shake her head with terror in her eyes and screamed, " _No_! No I don't want you to die! That's how he died!"

"I _won't_! Use your lightning magic! I'm rubber, remember!? Use my power! Please, Nami, before our family and friends get hurt!" he said, and then he leaned in to kiss her, but then he pulled back. Pressing his forehead to hers, he opened his eyes again, both now glowing that brilliant blue, and then he whispered to her, "Just remember that I will always be with you. I love you."

"I love you," Nami whispered, and when she opened her eyes, they were also glowing blue.

 _"Thank you…"_

x x x x

On the outside, Garp scowled with his eyes glued onto Luffy and Nami. They still could not move, and the storm and fire continued to rage. Luffy had his eyes closed and did not seem to be speaking to Nami at all. He had no idea what was going on, but then Luffy's eyes shot open, both glowing a brilliant blue.

The lightning seemed to centralize around him, and then soon it was casting out of him. He watched in amazement as the lightning now seemed to strike with purpose, and he could hear even more cries of pain. It was not long before he realized their enemies were the ones being targeted, and all he could do was watch in awe.

A growl rumbled in Luffy's throat, and then his head tilted back as he released a cry, which sounded as if he was in pain.

" _Luffy_!" Garp cried as he clutched at the grass, needing to get to his grandson, but he still could not move.

After one last boom of lightning struck, the storm vanished and both Luffy and Nami collapsed together.

"Luffy! Nami!" Garp cried as he surged to his feet and ran over to them.

"Luffy!" Dragon screamed as well, and ran to his son. Being closer, he fell to his knees and elbow beside Luffy, reaching out with his other hand to touch his fingers to Luffy's neck.

Garp dropped to his knees beside them and looked up at Dragon. "Well!?"

Breathing ragged, Dragon just lifted his frightened eyes to Garp as they filled with tears, and Garp just gaped back at him, his own eyes filling with tears.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Ending Author's Note:** Le gasp! D: Is he dead!? Is he alive!? I DON'T KNOW! D: So, what'd you guys think? :) Let me know in the reviews. ;) One more chapter left, and I think I might post it today. I kind of want to end this so I can focus on my original book. :D Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter. ;)


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:** Alright, here's that last chapter! :D I decided to hold off before posting it. I wanted the last chapter before this to sink in a bit, seeing as it was a cliffhanger, and I was also hoping for some reviews. xD Anyways, enjoy the last chapter! :D

 **Charmed Heart**

 **Chapter 13**

Luffy groaned, feeling as if there was a burning sensation all throughout the inside of his body. His eyes rolled opened, but his vision was blurry, seeing only shadows moving around about him, and then his ears picked up muffled cries.

"Luffy! Luffy, can you hear me!?"

"Here, give him some water."

"Luffy - Luffy, here, I need you to drink some water, okay?"

Luffy groaned again, and his mouth did indeed feel like sandpaper, and the voices were finally becoming coherent enough for him to be able to tell who was talking. He was sure it was Ace and his grandfather, though his grandfather sounded calmer than Ace. Luffy felt the glass at his lips and hands helping him to sit up so that he could drink.

"Luffy, how do you feel?"

The hands holding him, they were his father's, as was the voice asking after him. He drank deeply of the water until it was all gone, but then he finally managed to rasp out, "I'm fine… I think…" However, he then frowned, seeing as he did not hear the one voice he really wanted to hear in that moment, and so he glanced about the room. "Where…?" he started, but then he blinked at his surroundings. "What happened? We're back at the guild?"

"That's right," Garp replied, and when Luffy looked at him, he could see the deep frown creasing his aged brows.

"Okay, so what happened?" Luffy asked, becoming confused as he looked to each face, and then he noticed Sabo leaning against the back wall and gazing at him in concern. His family was all there, but where was Nami?

"You died," Garp growled out, sounding very unhappy.

"What?" Luffy asked, even more confused as he looked to each face. It was obvious that he was _not_ dead.

"We're just lucky as fuck Law and Chopper were able to revive the both of you. It took a really long ass time, and damn it, it scared us," Sabo said as he sighed, just glad to see his brother awake again. He pushed off the wall and moved over towards the bed. "Both you and Ace nearly died on us. Chopper and Law saved you both."

There was no mention of Nami at all, and this had him worried, but if there was really need for concern, his family would have said something, right? "And our enemies? I take it that it worked?"

"Again, you're just lucky that it _did_ , and that it _didn't_ kill you… permanently! They were apprehended and sent back to the prison, along with Teach and Doflamingo. What the hell did you do, anyway?" Garp asked in his rough and rumbling voice of anger.

"Nami used me as a conduit. I was able to reach her heart, and I asked her to help me take out our enemies. I thought I could handle it," Luffy said, lifting a hand to his head, again looking about.

"You idiot! You're not _made_ of rubber, even if you can turn yourself into it! Your body has limits, and it nearly singed completely from the inside! You've been in a coma for two weeks! Ace is already all healed up, and here you still are! And to make matters worse, the guilt of it nearly took her too!" Garp growled, looking beyond angry now. No, his grandfather was furious. "She was so distraught; she couldn't even tell us what happened!"

"Nami," Luffy whispered as tears came to his eyes, and again, he looked around as if she might be hiding somewhere. "Where - Where is she?"

They all went silent, but then Ace rolled his eyes downward and said, "She left."

"Left?" Luffy whispered, breathless. She left? He appeared as if he had not heard that right at all.

"Yes, left, you idiot!" Garp spat, and it seemed to Luffy, he wanted to continue reminding him of his idiocy.

He really was an idiot, but he had wanted to save his family and her. He had not thought about himself at all or what losing him would have done to her. He had known what it could have done to him, but he _had_ to do it… just as her great grandfather had to.

"We did our best for her, but… nothing and no one could comfort her," Dragon muttered as he lowered his head.

"Where?" Luffy rasped, feeling a pain within his heart, and even though she was not there to make him feel it, he still felt it. Of course, he knew it was just his own pain.

Ace sighed and said, "She went home, Luffy-"

"I have to go!" Luffy said as he threw back the covers and swiveled to stand, but the moment he did, he crumpled to the ground.

"Oye, Luffy! Hold on a minute!" Ace said, reaching down to pick him back up again. "I told her I'd go there to see her and Nojiko once you woke up… or didn't," he said and cleared his throat.

Luffy looked up at him with huge eyes, but then he nodded as if in understanding, but then he lowered his head again. With Sabo and Ace's help, and after they had unhooked him to what was keeping him alive, he got back up to his feet and allowed Ace and Sabo to help him change.

x x x x

As they walked along the halls, Ace said, "She took Mini Merry. I'm sure Sunny and Strawhat won't mind taking us. Sabo and I can just share."

"Wait," Luffy said as he glanced towards the back gardens, "where is Scales? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, yeah he's okay. Ace and I have been taking care of him for you," Sabo said as he and Ace also glanced to the back.

"Let's take Scales… Faster," Luffy said, heading towards the back instead.

"Uh, yeah, okay… Just hope we don't give them heart attacks…" Ace muttered as he and Sabo followed after Luffy, to also make sure he did not kill over. Ace then glanced over to Luffy, somewhat amazed he had not even realized just yet. "So, how do you feel, really?" he asked out of the blue.

"I feel fine. Just a bit sore, why?" he asked as he kept walking.

Ace and Sabo exchanged looks, and now they were feeling a bit of amusement as small smiles touched their lips. Sabo then asked, "Feeling fine, really? Are you sure?"

Luffy stopped and turned to look at them with a frown. "I said I was fine. Why do you both keep asking?"

A bit of laughter spilled out of Ace and Sabo as they again exchanged looks, and then they turned back to stare Luffy down in their amusement. "Luffy, Nami left days ago," Ace said as he chuckled.

Luffy blinked to this, even more confused to Ace's random statement as he looked between Ace and Sabo, and Sabo seemed to be on the same page as Ace, but Luffy did not even know what book they were even in. "Ace, what the hell are you going on about!? Are you sure it's not the both of you who aren't fine?"

"Luffy," Ace said, grasping a hold of Luffy's shoulders, "you feel fine, and Nami left days ago. If you haven't noticed… you're not wearing the charm either."

Luffy blinked to this, and then his head snapped down as he clutched at his chest, and then his head snapped back ups, his eyes huge. "I feel fine."

"You feel fine," Ace said and grinned back at Luffy.

"I feel… rested. Holy shit, I feel rested!" Luffy exclaimed, amazed.

"Hell yeah!" Sabo said as he began to laugh. "We noticed before she left that you seemed to be getting better, even when she had to be alone for a while."

Ace chuckled and said, "She always promised she'd come back, so you'd get your rest, but we could always tell before, even when you were unconscious. We had the experts look at you, and they couldn't feel the curse in you anymore. It's gone, Luffy."

Tears came to Luffy's eyes, but then he released a hard breath. He then just nodded and continued on. Ace and Sabo both lost their smiles as they again exchanged looks, but then they sighed as they followed after their little brother. They knew their brother just needed to see Nami, especially after learning that.

x x x x

When Nami heard the screams and cries in alarm, she made her way out of her house and saw the large overcast shadow zoom past. She looked up, seeing the large dragon circling overhead. Tears blurred her vision, and when the others made their way inside their houses, she made her way out to where the dragon was making his landing.

"Na-chan! What are you doing!?" Gen yelled after her in shock as she made her way towards the dragon.

"Nami!" Nojiko cried as she rushed out of the house after her. When Nami had showed up, she could not get much out of her, other than Luffy was not doing well after the war, and that it had been her fault. She, at least, told her Ace was doing better, but had wanted to stay with his brother, to which Nojiko was grateful for. Now she was terrified that her sister was going after a dragon. Could she really handle a dragon?

She followed after her sister, against her better judgement, but seeing as the dragon landed, and had not set fire to anything, her apprehension began to fade. She then blinked and froze, seeing both Luffy and Ace slide off the dragon's back along with a blonde man she had not seen before. Since when had they gotten a dragon?

Seeing Luffy slide off from Scales and make his way over towards her, Nami burst into tears and took off running towards him.

"Nami," Luffy whispered, his own tears forming as he held his arms open to her. She ran straight into his arms and jumped up to wrap her legs around him as well. He almost did not have the strength to carry her, but he would be damned if he failed her again by falling. "Nami, I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!" he whispered as he held her tight against him.

She shook her head and cried, "I thought I'd lose you! I woke up when Law was trying to revive you! It took so long, and I thought I'd lost you like she lost him! It would have been my fault! I did that to you!"

"No! No, Nami! I asked you to! It was all on me! I'm so sorry for doing this to you and making you feel this way! I'm so sorry!" he whispered, managing to tighten his hold in an attempt to comfort her.

"I'm sorry I didn't stay! I couldn't! I don't know what I would have done if you died! After we found out you weren't cursed anymore, I just couldn't be there… I was so scared, but leaving didn't change anything… I still worried, but I just needed to see my sister… I needed her to tell me everything would be okay," she whispered with a sniffle.

"It's okay, Nami. I understand. I'm not mad. I'm not mad at you at all. There's nothing to forgive or for you to be sorry for," he whispered to her as he rocked her to and fro.

This only seemed to make her cry harder. She then pulled back, clutched his face and kissed him hard to show him just how much she loved him. He kissed her back just as hard, needing to show her the same.

Nojiko huffed out with some laughter as tears came to her eyes, but then she shifted her eyes to Ace, glad to see him. Moving around the couple, she went to him, throwing her arms around him. "Hey… I'm glad you're both okay."

"Me too," Ace whispered as he hugged her back. "I'm sorry about the old man and how he made you leave. He's really not so bad… and actually, he really cares about you and your sister. He was furious when Luffy woke up," he said and chuckled.

Luffy winced to Ace's words as he pulled back to look at Nami. "It's true. The old man really let me have it, and he was adamant that I make things right with you again. He was really worried about you."

This made Nami smile through her tears, and then she said, "He was really worried about you too, Luffy."

"I dunno about that. I think he loves you more than me," Luffy said with a grin, making her bubble with laughter.

Nojiko huffed, but then she sighed as she thought about this. "I _was_ mad about him making me leave, but I think I get it. He was just trying to protect Nami, right? And me too. It was important. He did kind of explain it a little to me, but I guess I was just too mad to really listen. He didn't want me anywhere near this war."

"Yeah, it was… really horrible. I don't suppose I'll be getting good sleep for some time now after the things I saw," Ace muttered as he lowered his eyes.

"Same," Sabo whispered as he did the same.

"Yeah," Luffy said and lowered his head. "Ace and Sabo… told me on the way here how many we lost and who… Said they already buried them… I missed it all…"

"You saved so many, though," Nami whispered, caressing his cheek with her finger. "We could have lost many more if you hadn't done what you did."

"You helped too, Nami," he said as he smiled up at her.

"Yeah," she replied with a smile, and then she released a bit of laughter.

Luffy grinned back at her, happy to see her so happy as well. When he thought about her happiness, he could not help it as his eyes lowered to where her pendant sat. Only, he lost his smile when he saw she was not wearing it. "Nami, where's your pendant? You're supposed to be wearing it at all times… right?" he asked as he looked up at her.

Losing her smile as well, she grasped the empty place over her chest and said, "The old man and I both agreed it was too dangerous for me to keep… Its… Her will was too strong. He locked it up with the other cursed items."

Luffy's frown changed into a softer one, and then he whispered, "I see… I understand. I'm sorry, Nami."

"It's okay," she whispered and kissed his nose.

Scales groaned and leaned in towards Nami, nudging her a bit over Luffy's head.

"Hey, Scales, I missed you, too," Nami said, reaching up to caress his snout.

"So, a dragon, huh? Luffy, you amaze me," Nojiko said as she looked up at the dragon in awe.

Luffy snickered and said, "Scales isn't mine. He's Nami's. She tamed him."

" _What_!?" Nojiko exclaimed in shock.

"That's about the same reaction I had," Ace said and laughed.

"Shit, me too," Sabo said and laughed.

"You're going to have to tell me all about this!" Nojiko exclaimed in amazement of her sister, and then she looked over at Sabo. "So, who have we got here?"

"Ah, sorry! Nojiko, meet Luffy's and my brother, Sabo!" Ace said, bringing Sabo closer, who grinned at Nojiko.

"Hello Nojiko! I really wanted to meet you!" Sabo said as he held out a hand to her.

"Your guys' brother, huh?" Nojiko said with a chuckle as she stepped up, ignoring his hand and hugging him. "It's a pleasure to meet you then, Sabo!"

Sabo grinned wider as he hugged her and said, "It's definitely my pleasure!"

"Na-chan? Nojiko?" Gen questioned as he approached with caution.

"It's alright, Gen. Scales won't hurt you or anyone," Nami said, turning to look at him over her shoulder, seeing as Luffy still held her.

Gen released a breath in relief as he approached the rest of the way. "You nearly scared us half to death, boy! What ever possessed you to bring a dragon here!?"

"Oh, stop yelling at him. Scales is harmless!" Nami said, urging Luffy to set her down.

"Sorry, scarred guy, I wanted to get here fast. Scales is the fastest," Luffy said, petting Scales, who beamed at the praise and gave a happy groan.

"We should cook dinner and celebrate!" Nojiko said as she released Sabo and took Ace's hand as she headed back to her and Nami's house.

"Ooh, food! I like this idea!" Luffy said, taking Nami's hand and following after.

"Hell yeah! Food is always awesome!" Sabo said as he followed after them.

Gen grumbled something about mages, glancing back at this dragon before following after the five as he scratched his head.

Luffy snickered as they walked, and then he said for only Nami to hear, "We should have another feast and celebration back at the guild, and we should invite the scarred old man."

"Oh? You mean when we get back?" she asked, looking over at him. "We could bring him back with us."

"Yeah," he said and grinned, "because I think he'd want to be there."

"For the celebration?" she asked, but blinked at him when he stopped her from going inside her house with the others.

Luffy snickered again, but this time it was a soft snicker as was the smile he showed to her. "For our wedding, Nami. Let's get married once we get back."

Looking up at him with huge eyes, she really thought about this and everything that happened. Tears came to her eyes, and then she answered with a quick nod. "Yes, I want to do that," she whispered, throwing her arms around him. "I love you so much, Luffy!"

A big, bright grin formed over his face, causing his eyes to close, and he snickered in his joy. He held her tight, nuzzling her as his own tears formed, and then he whispered, "I love you, too… forever."

When he opened his eyes again, both were glowing a brilliant blue as he gazed off behind her with a softer smile.

"Even after death, my love…"

 **The End…**

 **Ending Author's Note:** Please tell me you get the ending, LOL! Let me know in your reviews if you get it. ;) I really hope you guys enjoyed this fic, and I would enjoy it if you guys left me reviews to let me know! :D Reviews are my encouragement, inspiration and motivation to write! :D Anyways, until next time! ;) Love you guys!


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